Return Twist
by Koomahana
Summary: so i made this as a spin off another i read, I've written so much in it I've decided to post it. in short Sakura is forced to return to the past just before the massacre and decided that faking a bloodline to explain her strength would be good... if it didn't blow up in her face every time she turned around.
1. Chapter 1: oh crap

_Italics= _thoughts

"_We will give you this one chance, the last chance Sakura Haruno." He said his blue eyes on the verge of tears. "You will return to the time when the great change took a turn for the worst and from there you shall live again, you will receive one gift from us." _

"_I hope you start that dream of yours…" Tsunade whispered gently, a sly knowing smile on her face._

"_My dream?" Sakura whispered, Tsunade rubbed her hand gently over stomach as she reached to rest it on her other arm. Sakura couldn't help but look at the rest of the Hokage's before her, each of them had a different expression on their face; but they all smiled at Sakura almost gently, knowingly._

"_My dream…of a family?" Sakura asked Tsunade, was Tsunade talking about that old child hood dream of hers? There was a huge flash as the blond Hokage's started laughing and then everything fell away, she was falling and there was nothing she could do to stop the fall…_

…

Sakura always did like how the wind felt when she flew through the air, she felt like she was flying; she was amazed how frightening and lovely it felt to fall from such unimaginable heights. Sighing as she got closer to the earth, Sakura made three kagebushins of varying ages, her ideal family. She heard two of the younger girls let out a terrified scream, Sakura briefly wondered if she made them too soon or if somewhere in her mind she expected that. She waited until she could feel figures in the tree tops below her rushing like hell towards her before she let out a heavy sigh, the girl's screams were starting to get a little annoying.

At a hundred feet above the tree line Sakura whipped out her fan from her back, opened it and set herself on the bottom half of it like she was a bird, she tightened her hold on the fan by applying chakra to her hands; almost immanently Sakura felt two thumps on the fan.

"Grab my hand!" one of her clones cried out, _figures that one of them wouldn't land_. Sakura sighed as she saw a red haired child go screaming past her; of course it had to be the red head! Sakura sighed and let go of the fan, the eldest would guide it to the ground safely. Sakura flattened her hands to her sides and angled herself to go head first so she could smash into the small screaming child; when they hit the tree line Sakura finally got a hold of the clone and wrapped herself around the child protectively. She felt them smash through a few branches before someone caught her, after a few jumps the person who caught them landed on the ground gently. Sakura looked down at the crying child in her arms, was she going to let this clone pretend to be her when she was six?

"Are you alright?" whispered the person who caught them, Sakura heaved a sigh and shook the child off her lap almost rudely. The tiny girl fell to the ground and looked up at her so pathetically Sakura immanently felt like a bully, even if this little girl before her was just her clone; if she didn't play her cards right she could end up in a jail cell before she could blink.

"We're fine." Sakura answered as she kneeled herself next to the child, she made herself appear to be checking her for scratches. "I had it under control." Sakura stood and stretched, "Why'd you save us?" Sakura asked as she peered at the Anbu member beside her, the boy tilted his head at her curiously; he was small to be in Anbu, most Anbu members were in their twenties, he couldn't be more then thirteen...

"That was under control? You were two seconds away from hitting the ground." The Anbu member nearly snapped "If I hadn't stepped in you would have died!" did she catch a glimpse of red in those black holes of the mask? There was only one member of Anbu that she knew of entered the Anbu corps so young… but then again with her knowledge of Danzo, maybe she shouldn't be making assumptions until she got a good picture of everything.

"You do realize that I'm wind type right?" Sakura asked as she scanned the sky, were the hell did her fan land now?

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that my chakra is closest to air, which includes wind, which means I had it under control." Sakura snapped as she heard a rather loud scream and an offal sounding crash fifty feet to her north east, she was going to kill that clone! She couldn't let it disappear; she didn't know if other Anbu members were around. Clone or not, that young self of hers was in for a one hell of a beating!

"You were out of control," the Anbu member said calmly, before he shook his head and seeming to remember his duties "I have to take you to headquarters anyways." The Anbu member reached for her and Sakura promptly kicked him into a nearby tree, he left a decent sized dent and Sakura couldn't help but smile at the lovely sound of breaking back and crushed wood.

"You're about a hundred year's too early kid," Sakura snapped as she looked down at the girl by her feet, at least she stopped crying, Sakura pointed to the north-east. "Run." She ordered, the little girl looked petrified and in a second later the little red haired girl took off running like her life depended on it. Sakura turned to fallow her but found herself jumping just in time to not get hit by a horde of kunai and shiriken; she couldn't help but laugh at him as she rushed to her 'siblings'. That boy was going to be in a world of hurt for the next few days…

Itachi firmly decided that was the last damn time he'd ever try and save someone from falling from unimaginable heights. He and his team had gone out scouting on the boarder of the village walls when they all heard the screaming children hurtling to the earth. Where they supposed to let those children plunge to their death? No, every single member tore off to the appoxamit landing place of those screaming children; how the hell did they get so damn high to begin with? Itachi glanced outside and scowled almost in hatred, how long was he going to sit in this damn hospital bed? It was already dark outside! And that incident happened yesterday morning!

Itachi turned to the sound of his door opening to reveal a smug Shisui and a blushing nurse as she quickly shut off the monitors and went over some documents quickly.

"Okay Uchiha-san, you can leave now." Itachi practically jumped out of his bed, and was stopped from leaving when Shisui quickly stepped in front of him. "You've been removed from the duty roadster for the next few months—"

"What?" Itachi asked sharply, his nurses eyes widened at his tone.

"You fractured several ribs and one of them is broken," his nurse explained "If you're not careful you'll break the rest of those fractures and you'll end up here for an even longer time." That was the last time he ever got himself involved with pink haired women, he was never going near another pink haired woman if his life depended on it! Itachi stalked out of that hospital, he couldn't run that would put too much stress on his ribs; which were already hurting. Shisui kept right on walking next to him, humming the entire way home; Shisui was ecstatic that Itachi had gotten his ass kicked by a girl, a _pink_ haired girl as he often teased him about said girl.

He knew full well that it was embracing as all hell, still he had fun telling Mikoto about it on their way home. Itachi tried his best to ignore his cousin and mother as they both talked about it in stage whispers, their conversation was interrupted when they heard a crash and several startled cries. Turning to the forest beside them just outside the Uchiha compound, the three Uchiha watched as something rushed towards them, not sure if it was an attach; Itachi and Shisui stood side by side in front of Mikoto.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" roared a familiar voice, Itachi stiffened; he wanted vengeance for that embarrassment yesterday morning even if he wanted nothing to do with that woman.

"KAAA—!" someone screamed as they flew out of the forest, Itachi and Shisui watched as two girls were chased out of the forest by a very angry pink haired woman who was trying to hit them with her fists.

"We're sorry!" one of the children screamed, "At least it can be repaired!" the girl's moment in explaining was interrupted by the woman's fist as she made her fly into a nearby wall.

"Accident my ass! You planned this!" The woman turned towards the other girl "You're not getting off easy either! You helped!"

"I'm sorry nee-sama!" the girl cried as she tried to make a run for it. Shisui immanently tackled the woman as Itachi grabbed the youngest little girl by the back of her shirt. Mikoto promptly went to her son's side and held the little girl close to her.

"Its okay, it's okay," Mikoto whispered gently to the frightened little girl who clung desperately to her skirt, "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," the woman said calmly from her place on ground, "and please get this girl off me."

"Hay! I'm a guy!" Shisui snapped, he looked completely horrified that he had been mistaken for a girl.

"Really?" she asked

"Yes!" the pink haired woman through him off of her and into a nearby tree.

"That's kind of sad, I didn't even notice."

"Nee-chan that's not nice." Said the once knocked out girl as she moved faintly purple hair out of her eyes. "Since we're finally here, can I get this crap out of my hair now?"

"As soon as we get to our new house." The woman said as she stood, "Hay Imoto you can quite the act, red eyes over there took your hit." Shisui looked like he was about to though something at the woman, before she called him out; at which he deactivated his Sharingan and pouted against the tree.

"Really?" the little girl asked as she peeked at the older woman a few feet behind her.

"Yes" she nodded, Mikoto felt the little girl struggle out of her grasp and nearly knock down the pink haired woman. "We have to go to shopping now… so… Imoto go get to our apartment."

"Hai," the purple haired girl smiled as she took the hand of the eight year old clinging to the woman "What about the baby?" silence rung in the air as the older woman starred at her almost blankly.

"Oh yeah…" the woman said it as if she'd forgotten about the youngest in their group.

"Baby?" Mikoto cried, "how can you forget your baby?!" she was running into the forest in seconds, the woman and her two sisters fallowing after her lazily.

"Simple, she's too quite to keep much track of." Answered the woman, Itachi really wanted to hit that woman, but that wouldn't be looked upon very well; she hadn't started anything yet.

When Mikoto found the crash site, which is the most likely place for the child to be, she saw a huge fan embedded into three different trees and at least six others permanently tilted on their sides. On the fan was a squirming bundle, Mikoto gingerly made her way to the squirming thing and once she got to it and lifted it into her arms; she was over joyed to see that the baby was unharmed. Although the baby did have pink hair…

"At least those bullies won't get you while I hold you." Mikoto cooed to the baby, Itachi and Shisui were by her side quickly and were eyeing the baby, their Sharingan spinning lazily as they watched the baby squirm in Mikoto's warm arms. "I'm going to see if I can't keep you," Mikoto whispered gently.

"Kaa-san…" whispered a gentle voice, Mikoto turned to look at the three girls who just quite literally crashed into her life, and saw that the purple haired girl was starring at Mikoto with dead haunted eyes and a carefully blank mask and the eight year old red head was crying.

"Kaa-san…" whispered the little girl, the woman with them looked startled and a little unnerved as she glanced between Mikoto and the purple haired girl almost worriedly.

"Why is the little girl calling Mikoto-sama Kaa-san?" Shisui asked almost wirily.

"Because our mother is dead," the purple haired girl whispered gently, she pointed to Mikoto as she continued, "she could be her twin." tears threatening to break the girl's eyes barriers and fall from those cold haunted emerald depths.

"You three will be in good hands until I return…" the pink haired woman said calmly, her emerald gaze never leaving Mikoto's chocolate ones. "Please take care of them until I return at the end of the month." The purple haired girl turned quickly to the woman and glared harshly at her.

"Don't you dare," she started threatening but was cut off by Shisui who turned to them, his arms waving as he starred at them with a mask of confusion.

"Whoa! Wait! Hold on!" Shisui spook up, "why are you just ditching these three on to us? How do you know that Fugaku-san won't just kick them to the curb? Or that we won't just kill them?" the woman snorted and pointed at Mikoto with a gentle smile on her face, her eyes looking as if they were miles away.

"No one marries a woman like her without the intention of keeping her happy." With a puff of smoke, the woman was gone and so was her fan.

"Nee-chan, you forgot to tell us where we'll be staying…" the purple haired girl said as she slumped with a heavy sigh, the red haired girl ran out of her sister's hands and barreled into Mikoto's skirts, tears running down her face as she tried to hide her tears.

"Wait, are you saying that you have a place to live?" Shisui asked, his eyes narrowed at the purple haired girl, "then why did she just leave you with us and expect Mikoto-san to take care of you?"

"If sister told us were the house was, we'd only require _her_ to check in on us once a week" the purple haired girl snapped back as she pointed at Mikoto for emphasis.

"Kaa-san…" the red haired child sobbed, the purple haired girl twitched at the child's tone, "Kaa-san," she sobbed again. The teen ager sighed and rubbed at her temple, her purple hair falling into her eyes and obscuring them once more.

"Aiko-chan, we have to go…" the teen ager said as in a blink of an eye she was beside Mikoto, her hands resting on the eight year olds shoulders. Itachi and Shisui starred at her wide eyed and Sharingan blaring to life in their eyes once more; was she a threat? "We need to hurry back to the Hokage, he doesn't know that sister left early and that won't be good if he thinks we've been kidnapped and sends mean people after us again."

"Why would the Hokage send 'mean people' after you and what do you mean by again?" Mikoto asked as she kneeled down to the small red haired girl, she couldn't help but feel that as a mother, she had the damned right to baby a crying child.

"I mean when we entered the village yesterday morning we kind of lost control of our transport," here she pointed to the evidence of the fan, "and lost Aiko here," she pointed to the little girl crying on Mikoto's shoulder "and then we were surrounded by a bunch of people in black and masks."

"Those weren't mean people," Shisui said as he eyed the purple haired girl before him, he was thinking about smacking her; she was rude to call him mean. All they did was ask questions and then fallowed them to the Hokage's office, after which they were taken to interrogation; he had heard that they were released a little more than an hour before he got to Itachi at the hospital. "Those were Anbu, the highest ranked ninja in this village, next to the Hokage of course."

"And not well known," Itachi said warningly to Shisui, Shisui was on the team that surrounded the intruders and later came back to find Itachi knocked out and leaning against a tipped over tree. Itachi still didn't forgive Shisui for immanently erupting into a laughing fit when he caught sight of Itachi, in fact Itachi was thinking about sparing with Shisui as soon as he was healed just so he could teach him a lesson in laughing at him first instead of helping him first.

"If their good guys then why did one of them through Kunai and Shiriken at sister?" the purple haired girl asked as she lifted the crying red head into her arms and stood to face the two boys, one glaring warningly at the other who only smiled smugly back at him.

"Because she nearly killed him," Shisui said with a sly smile at Itachi.

"Shut up," replied Itachi as he walked away. "They're not staying, father won't allow it."

…

"Their staying," Fugaku said an hour an half later; Itachi decided that it was a good time to go train, fractured ribs or not he didn't want to be around his family at the moment. "At least until their sister returns." He said as Itachi walked out the door, Mikoto had used the water works against her husband and made the girl's story sound about ten times worse than it really was. All they did was come to the village for some strange reason and then the eldest up and left them here, it was as simple as that.

"Well aren't you going to tell us your names?" Fugaku asked as he turned towards the purple haired girl holding a sleeping eight year old red head.

"Umm…" the purple haired girl hesitated before she let out a sigh, "This is Aiko," she said as she gently gestured to the sleeping girl in her arms. "The baby is Hana…" she said and pointed at the baby in Mikoto's arms.

"And?" Fugaku pressed "What is your name? What's your surname? How old are you? Where are you from? What about your sister? What's her name? How old is she?"

"Uhh… Our surname is Haruno," the girl said calmly, "I'm thirteen, Aiko is eight and Hana is a year old." She said calmly, "We were born here, and sister is 16, her name is… Haru…" she sounded a little unsure of herself, could this girl be lying about her sister's identity? Fugaku narrowed his eyes at the girl; who immanently started squirming.

"And what is your name?" Mikoto asked with a raised eyebrow, the purple haired girl looked like she wanted to be somewhere else; she fidgeted and squirmed in her seat.

"I don't have one…" she said, Mikoto and Fugaku stared at her dumbly. "You see, we're kind of in the middle of a war with our family, tradition says that the heir must be a woman with pink hair and green eyes. My sister and I fit that to a T—"

"But your hair is purple," Fugaku said calmly, his eye brow raised; what color was this girl's eyes? Her hair was like a shield, he couldn't see it at all, not even a hint of her eyes.

"No, this is just hair die; my hair is pink, like my sisters." The girl reassured gesturing to Aiko as well, "It should wash out the next time I take a shower."

"Why'd you dye it?" Mikoto asked tilting her head to the side gently; Hana was still sleeping gently in her arms.

"Later," the girl answered "anyways, our family says that only one person can be heir and that they can be named 'Haru'. But you see sister and I look like twins, if not for the three year age difference…" she mumbled the last part to herself "and anyone who is born with the same requirements must fight each other until someone dies, the survivor will be named 'Haru' and the clan will move on after the burial."

"Sounds kind of harsh…" Shisui mumbled the girl shrugged her shoulder; it was only normal and natural to her.

"My sister made the clan agree to me living without a name, this way they can't kill me and no one will actually know me. There for there is no reason to kill someone who doesn't even exist." The girl smiled at Mikoto and Fugaku, as if this was normal and excitable.

"But never before were there two girls from the same parents that had pink hair and green eyes, let alone three." She gently gestured to the sleeping child in her arms, "The clan wanted to make Nee-sama heir because she already has a child in her image, which just means that Aiko and I would either die or play the rest of our lives as her doubles." Even Shisui had to frown at that, Aiko was only eight, how could she be a double for someone who was 16?

"Your sister has a child already? But she's sixteen!" Mikoto said "How old is the child and what's its name?"

"The child is a year old and her name is Hana Haruno." The girl said calmly to Mikoto.

"Oh," Mikoto said as she played with the baby in her arms, "Hold on! Is Hana your sister's baby?" Mikoto asked the purple haired teen, the girl nodded her head slowly. "How did she get Hana and is she married?"

"It was a mission gone wrong and no." she answered calmly, almost hesitantly.

"I don't even want to know." Shisui said with a shake of his head "I'm fallowing Itachi and make sure he doesn't kill himself." In truth he didn't want to know how much more messed up this girl's clan was, he needed to get some air before he threw up; he didn't want to stare at the girl's scared arms, legs and neck anymore.

"So your apart of the Haruno clan, but their thinking about killing you and Aiko because your sister was originally the heir but since you two were born her position was changed to a possible heir?" Fugaku asked the girl nodded, Fugaku sighed. He understood the possibility of more than one heir, but he didn't want to think about another clan's problems right now; he had his own problems to think about. "Your clan affairs are confusing and I ask you to not bring your problems into this house."

"You should not worry Uchiha-sama," the girl said calmly "At the end of the month sister will return and our clan wouldn't think of touching us here in this village of your home." She smiled gently at Fugaku and Mikoto and gently placed Aiko onto her feet. "Aiko-chan, I can't feel my legs anymore, would you like to go to bed soon?"

"Uh-huh…" the little girl mumbled sleepily, the purple haired girl couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"I'll stay up and answer any more questions you might have, but Aiko has to go to bed please." The teenager half way asked, at Mikoto's nod she stood up calmly and took Aiko's hand gently; she didn't see Mikoto begin to stand as well.

"Are we going for a bath now?" the little girl asked as she rubbed at her eye sleepily.

"Perhaps in the morning sweet heart," the teenager said as she went to the corner of the living room and just hidden behind the couch, Mikoto and Fugaku watched as the nameless girl placed their pack on the floor and laid the sleeping child on the floor before she placed a blanket around the drowsy child. "Now remember not to be too noisy okay?" Aiko nodded her head sleepily and placed it onto the pack as if it were a pillow, Mikoto and Fugaku starred at the two in confusion before realization dawned on them.

"Wait a moment!" Mikoto said hurriedly, she stood up and rushed over to the teen and eight year old. "What do you think you're doing? We have guest's rooms that you can use! Did you think you were just going to sleep on the floor of our living room for the next month?"

"Or outside if the weather is nice, yes," answered the girl, the red head bumped her forehead against her sister's hand, "Isn't that normal?" Mikoto starred open mouthed at the girl.

"Absolutely not!" Mikoto cried "First you take a bath! And then you go to bed in your proper room!"

"We don't have rooms here, we are guests in your house; we do not live here and we will not be staying for long." The teen answered calmly, her head tilted to the side.

"That's why I said guest rooms!" Mikoto grabbed the girl's arm and hauled her up to her feet. "I'll show you were your rooms are and then you two can go take a bath." They started down the hall of the house, Aiko tiredly clinging to her sister's blouse as they were both hurried down the bedroom hall; Fugaku was forgotten in the family room.

"If you don't mind ma'am," the teen asked politely as she heaved Aiko into her arms more securely "Aiko gets nightmares pretty bad sometimes, would it be okay if she and I shared a room?" she looked unsure and slightly uneasy, as if she didn't know if this was normal and acceptable.

"Yes that's fine," Mikoto said with a nod of her head, "This will be your room then," Mikoto pointed to the closed door, "Fugaku's and mine are at the end of the hall on the left," Mikoto pointed, "This is Itachi's room and this is Sasuke's, he's my other son." The girl nodded her head; both boys' rooms were directly across from each other and next to her own, she quickly set their backpacks down just inside the room and picked out some pajamas for the two of them. "This is the bathroom," Mikoto said as she opened a door at the end of the hall, the purple haired girl let out a low whistle at the site before her.

The bathroom had a large bath tub made to look like a shallow pool; all around it were large rocks, fake moss and grass. The walls surrounding the tub were genjutsu soaked to look like an endless forest while the ceiling looked like the night sky.

"This could be an Onsen and I wouldn't have known better," she whispered "But do you have a place where we can wash out the hair dye? I don't want to stain that pretty tub of yours…" Mikoto nodded and pointed to a corner were there were isolated showers. "Thank you," the girl bowed deeply to Mikoto, the woman chuckled as she walked to a nearby cabinet.

"I have to take a bath too," Mikoto said with a wink, "Don't worry I'll take care of Hana for you, you can focus on Aiko-chan and the boys won't think about looking over here." The girl tilted her head as she walked with Aiko to the showers.

"Why would the boys be looking?" she asked as she undressed Aiko and herself quickly and wrapped herself in a towel. Mikoto couldn't find it in herself to answer the girl, if she believed that boys wouldn't be looking at her; then who was she to bash that innocents? Aiko didn't spend much time in the shower; she was quickly out with the blood red die out of her hair.

Mikoto was a little dismayed that the teen was able to wrap herself so quickly; she wanted to make sure that her clan hadn't tortured the poor girl. But what she did see when she brought Hana over to the older girl, who was busy wrapping Aiko in a towel, were two large scars sprouting from her shoulders and down under the towel. Mikoto gently placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, the teen twitched and tightened Aiko's towel before letting the little girl run into the steaming pool. Aiko's towel flew off and her new pink hair flew out around her head like an explosion of pink paint.

"What happened?" Mikoto asked gently, the girl stood and removed her towel and hung it on her wall just outside of the shower, Mikoto nearly gagged at the sight of the scars on the girl's back.

"I awoke too early," she answered as she stepped into the shower, out of Mikoto's view.

"I don't understand," Mikoto said as she tightened her hold on Hana, was the Haruno clan like the Uchiha? Did they have a blood line too? Would Hana and Aiko get those scars too? "Do you have a blood line too? Is that what happens when it awakens?"

"Kind of," she answered from behind the shower wall "I uh, woke up in a fire." She paused "I awoke my blood line to save my sisters. Nee-sama had come into the house searching for us, when she got to us the smoke was too much and she couldn't get us out. When I opened my eyes I saw her on the ground, with a man standing just behind her with his sword drawn. I thought he killed my sister so I flipped. My blood line opened and I uh, I nearly killed him." She paused again, a little longer then before; as if she didn't want to continue or maybe she was waiting for Mikoto to say something. "Up side is I got us out, down side is my family had to cut me down so I wouldn't kill everyone else."

"What happened after that?" Mikoto watched as Aiko joyfully splashed in the tub, tears stung at her black brown eyes, she wouldn't let her tears fall; she was Mikoto Uchiha, wife of the head of the Uchiha clan. Tears were unacceptable!

"It was sealed away, I was deemed too dangerous and for the protection of the clan I was to be executed. That was almost six years ago, I was seven years old."

"Will that happen to Hana and Aiko?" Mikoto asked as she huddled a sleeping baby in her arms "I mean when they awaken their blood line, will they get your scars too? Will it do more damage than good?"

"I've done some research before we came here," the girl said calmly "The closet way I can describe our blood line to you is something like the Byakugan and Sharingan combined, there's a first stage too; but hardly anyone ever survives that stage."

"Will they?" Mikoto asked "Will they survive the first stage?" Mikoto knew the girl knew that she was talking about the two little girls with them.

"I don't know," she answered "I don't know if Aiko and Hana will make it through the first stage, I do know that you don't have to worry about it."

"Why's that?"

"Because it's rare for anyone to ever awaken the first stage, everyone else just skips over it and activates what they need at that exact moment, whatever part of the blood line they need to survive, that is what they will awaken."

"So you can't force it to awaken?" Mikoto asked

"Of course not, for us the only way to awaken the second part is to be in a life or death situation, to awaken the third part one has to experience a loss of someone they love." She replied, Mikoto watched as purple water drained away from the shower, gingerly Mikoto gave the girl her towel and waited passionately.

"How do you awaken the first stage?" Mikoto asked suddenly remembering what the girl had said earlier.

"All of the above." She answered as she stepped out of the shower and headed to the pool were Aiko was pretending to be a fish. "Aiko don't complain to me about being a prune!"

"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked as the teen sat on the edge of the pool "are you saying that someone has to lose someone they love and then have their life be threatened in order to awaken the first stage?" the girl sat on the edge of the pool and turned her back on Mikoto, giving the older woman a good view of her scared back.

"And to want vengeance," she whispered gently, watching Aiko splash and laugh, "They would need to want vengeance on the person who killed their special person, and the knowledge that their too weak to do so doesn't hurt anything either." Mikoto couldn't stop starring at her back, she had pulled her long pink hair to the side and Mikoto saw that the girl's scars reached everywhere. The two great scars that started on her shoulders ended at her rib cage, they looked as if she had sprouted wings and then had those very wings ripped away from her.

"The first stage is considered forbidden and normally anyone who accesses it is to be killed immanently. But Nee-sama stopped the family from doing that, she said that in order to give me life, she would head out on her own and hunt down the man that tried to annihilate our family." Mikoto sat down next to the girl, she couldn't stand up anymore, this clan of her's was barbaric; even to Uchiha standards.

"The clan agreed on the condition that I'd be removed from the Candace of heir and that I'd be used as Nee-sama's double until I die; to do this means that I must not have a name. I am only a replacement," She looked out at Aiko, the sadness in her voice nearly unbearable to Mikoto, "and I am easily replaceable."

They were silent for a moment; Mikoto was deep in her thoughts, finally Hana pulled at her wanting to play too. Mikoto looked down at the happy pink haired girl and her decision was made; she would never release these girls to the Haruno clan. She'd find someone for them to marry so that they could be a part of this clan forever, and they'd stay safe forever, their clan couldn't come back for them and they couldn't hurt them. Because then they'd be Uchiha's and the Haruno's would have no clam.

"What do you think about me giving you a name?" Mikoto asked, the girl beside her twitched and tilted her head. "I always wanted a daughter," Mikoto explained "I'd be more than happy to give you a name, free of charge, no strings attached." Mikoto thought that she wasn't buying it, so she quickly added another piece of sugar for her: "You must have come here for a reason right? Once you leave here everyone will be wanting to call you by your name, 'Haruno' isn't going to cut it, and I can give you one as a temporal thing…" The girl thought about it for a moment, a smile graced her face behind her pink hair; Mikoto wished she could see the girl's eyes.

"I'd like that; I'd like that very much." Mikoto smiled at the girl and got to thinking about names that would fit this girl beside her, anything to keep her mind away from the new knowledge given to her about a barbaric clan.

…

That evening Mikoto wobbled into her bedroom and fell into her husband's arms as he caught her half way to their bed.

"What happened Mikoto?" he asked as he placed her on their bed, "Did something happen with the girls? Why are you shacking like this?"

"That clan…" she whispered gently, tears threatening her eyes. "That clan tried to kill her!" Mikoto nearly cried out "just because she-she awoken th-the first- first stage of- of their bloodline!" Mikoto hid her face in her hands as sobs racked her body. "How could they do that? She was seven!" Fugaku held his wife in his arms gently; he still wasn't used to this woman's random bouts of tears for other people. "They even took her name away!"

It took Fugaku a good hour to make his wife stop crying, but by then she'd cried herself to sleep. Fugaku sighed as he lay next to his wife, now everything fit together; why such a powerful woman would escort three children to this village. This village would protect those girls if it meant its destruction and for once, Fugaku completely understood the village's stupidity for helping others. The Haruno clan had a blood line and apparently awakening it meant death, what a foolish thing to do.

Fugaku sighed and decided that he'd think about it in the morning, he knew his wife would be thinking up names for their new charge. And that she'd be making a list of boys she could marry so that the girls would never need to leave the village, because even the Uchiha didn't kill their kids when they awoke their bloodline; no matter the circumstances.

In the morning Fugaku walked in on a site that had him doing double takes, he could hear his wife in the kitchen rushing about making breakfast and he saw glimpses of long pink hair. The eight year old Aiko was sitting next to Sasuke and the baby was in Itachi's arms, said boy was trying desperately to make the baby girl stop crying.

"Oh for goodness sakes Hana!" cried a girl as she rushed out of the kitchen and quickly placed a platter of bacon on the table, "It's only Itachi-san! There's no reason to cry." Fugaku stared at the pink haired thirteen year old, standing next to Itachi like that made them look like déjà vu; he swore he saw that scene before… if that girl had pinned up her hair like a normal teenager then he'd properly remember where'd he'd seen this scene before.

"Hi daddy!" Sasuke chorused, his sleepy eyes popping open.

"Oh! Fugaku! We found a name for her!" Mikoto called as she stepped out of the kitchen and quickly went to him. "We decided that Sakura would be a good name for her." Mikoto kissed his cheek and turned around; she froze at the site before her. "Oh, so that's what you were starring at." Sakura quickly returned Hana to Itachi as she tried to go back to the kitchen.

"What is it Mother?" Itachi asked as he bumped the toddler on his hip, "what's the matter?" Sakura paused at the entrance way to the kitchen, her head tilted back to the Uchiha's.

"Sakura stand behind Sasuke," Mikoto demanded, Sakura did so without question. "Itachi take a step to your left and put Hana on your left, good, now Sakura take a step closer to Itachi and place your hand on his arm." Sakura and Itachi both stood frozen in their place, Sakura was closer but her hand didn't move from its place.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head to the side

"Nothing now will you please do it, please?" Mikoto begged, batting her eye lashes at Sakura, slowly and hesitantly, Sakura placed her hand on Itachi's arm, close to Hana. "There! Perfect!" Mikoto giggled clapping her hands together, "I wish we had a cameraman." At which point Sakura quickly turned away and rushed into the kitchen, her request apparently done, Mikoto fallowed after her and when the two returned everyone started eating breakfast.

Itachi pretended not to know what his mother had started planning, he figured it out as soon as she ordered Sakura to place her hand on his arm. Itachi watched as Sakura quickly picked up her plate and just as quickly washed it, after she left his mother fallowed, then his father. Itachi didn't want to know what they were talking about in the kitchen so he watched Sasuke and Aiko talk as they slowly finished their breakfast.

"Itachi-san," called a voice behind him, he turned to see Sakura standing just behind him, what little of her cheeks he could see were red and she looked almost flustered. "Please tell me your mother does that to everyone."

"Does what?" Sasuke asked as he stood up and tried to carry his plate to the kitchen, Aiko hot on his heels. "What'd mom do?"

"Nothing Sasuke-san," Sakura answered quickly as she took her sister's plate. "Would you like me to take that for you?" Sasuke smiled and happily gave her his plate.

"Thank you Sakura-chan!" Sasuke called as he turned and nearly collided into Aiko, "Oops sorry are you okay?" Sasuke asked as he offered his hand to the girl.

"Yes I'm okay," Aiko said quickly as she stood and hid behind Sakura as fast as her little feet let her. Sasuke shrugged and headed for his room, he had to get to school.

"Onee-sama, could I be a ninja?" Aiko asked as Sakura entered the kitchen again and placed the dishes into the sink, Sakura paused and sighed; Itachi had already left to train and Sasuke was at school

"Sorry Imoto, but we couldn't possibly pay for that yet." Sakura said, not looking at her sister, Mikoto had overheard and looked at Fugaku urgently. He shook his head and quickly left the kitchen, Mikoto huffed and then a light bulb seemed to go off in her head. A smile spread across her face as she turned to look at Sakura and Aiko.

"Sakura-chan," Mikoto started, "I can help you pay for her schooling if you want." Sakura froze and turned to the older woman, she wasn't sure if she liked that smile.

"I'm sorry Mikoto-sama but you're already doing so much for us, we couldn't possibly accept anymore charity from you." So Mikoto couldn't tell her to make her son fall in love with her so that they could marry and be a part of the clan forever, "I'm sorry but I decline your offer." if she was going to do this, she had to be sneaky.

"What if I were to higher you?" Mikoto asked eyeing the bowed girl. "You could work for your stay and for her education, this way it's not charity." Sakura thought about it, how else could she explain why 'Aiko' cold take on a Jonin and possibly win? And what about Hana? How was she supposed to explain that? For now she had to play the part of the middle sister stuck with the responsibility of two girls, she didn't have a choice…

"Please?" begged Aiko, any normal older sister would have melted at that look; Sakura let out a sigh. "Ya!" Aiko jumped up and down "I'm gonna be a ninja! Ninja! Ninja!" and out of the kitchen Aiko ran, heading straight for her shared room.

"Aiko-chan, a female ninja is called a Kinochi," Mikoto called out to the rushing little girl.

"What will be my job?" Sakura asked as she straightened, her eyes lowered. Mikoto starred at the girl, the air around her changed, she was no longer a mysterious gust, but a worker who knew her place. Mikoto let out a sigh; she wasn't expecting such a change.

"You'll be more or less be a maid," Mikoto said calmly "You'll clean the rooms, do the dishes, do some shopping with me, you know, the usual stuff." Mikoto smiled at Sakura, she was going to have to pull strings to make sure the girl got a lot of time with Itachi… he was off for the next few months so it couldn't possibly be that hard, right?

"Okay I'll tell you your chores for today but first, your hair. You look like a sheep dog, let me fix that for you please?" Mikoto smiled, Sakura wondered if she could perhaps back out of the offered job and rush to the Hokage to get to the apartment and sign up for some missions. Later that day Mikoto caught Shisui and told him to take a message to the Hokage about their new arrivals and to let him know that he didn't have to worry about them for the next month, longer if she had her way.

…

When Itachi came home that evening he was expecting Sasuke to come running at him, he wasn't expecting to hear children laughing and playing or the faint chuckles of a baby. When he entered the dining room, he saw Sasuke and Aiko playing with some toys and the baby was in a high chair laughing and throwing small pieces of bread at them in entertainment. She was an amazing marksman, Hana hit Sasuke and Aiko repeatedly with her bread; it got to the point where Sasuke and Aiko were dogging the little baby as a game instead of what they were doing originally.

"Aiko, Sasuke!" called a voice from the kitchen, "You two aren't making a mess are you?"

"No Sakura-chan!" Sasuke called as he dogged a piece of bread aimed at his head, truthfully they weren't making a mess; Hana was.

"No Nee-chan!" called Aiko, she looked up and waved at Itachi, "welcome home Itachi-sama!" Hana promptly hit Aiko with a piece of bread and giggled in delight at her received pout.

"Welcome home brother!" Sasuke called as he waved his hand at his brother. "Sakura-chan is cooking dinner!" Hana hit him next and laughed at him at the same time, right on time someone stepped out of the kitchen and Itachi's breath caught in his chest.

The girl who came out of the kitchen was pink haired and green eyed, her skin was pale and she was wearing one of his mother's dresses and one of her aprons too, the Uchiha chest was sown into the top of the apron and on the back of the dress; in the center of her forehead was a large, blood red diamond.

"Hello Itachi-sama," the girl smiled, what was her name again? "I hope you're hungry." Itachi remembered his voice and started breathing again, he glanced at the floor were the children were playing and raised an eyebrow at the mess.

"Oh! Yes, uh… if you give me a moment I'll clean that right up." Sakura quickly placed the plate of rice on the table and quickly rushed over to Hana. Itachi starred at the Uchiha crest on the girl's back, it looked pretty good from where he was at. "Up you go sweet heart!" Hana giggled and laughed as Sakura quickly secured the baby to her back and quickly tied her hair up out of the baby's face.

"Aiko will you be an angle and help me clean up?" Sakura asked as she eyed the tiny eight year old, Aiko giggled and started picking up the pieces of bread from Hana's target practice. "Sasuke-sama could you wash up? I don't think your mother would be happy to see you covered in dirt."

"But that's because Aiko and I did Taijutsu today in class!" Sasuke pouted, "Aiko doesn't play fare; I can't get a hold on her!"

"Good," Sakura smiled and nodded her head approvingly at Aiko, "You've improved."

"Sakura-chan!" Sasuke whined, "Aiko didn't win! Iruka-sensei disqualified her because she kept running away!" Sakura looked at Aiko from the corner of her eye, Itachi chuckled and arched an eyebrow at his brother; when did she replaced him as his little brother's favorite person?

"Sasuke," Itachi called, Sasuke looked up at his brother "Let's give the girl's some time to fix everything up, mother will return soon. Let's surprise her with our best clothes." Sasuke brightened and rushed after Itachi as he headed to his room, Sakura continued picking up the toys and placing them neatly into the nearby basket; Aiko kept right on picking up the bread, not daring to look at her elder sister.

"You said no chakra in class in less instructed by Sensei." Aiko finally whispered to Sakura, Sakura only smiled down at Aiko and patted her head.

Sakura picked up the toys and placed them into their original places, Aiko fallowing her around with her bread held in her skirt. Hana thought it would be fun to go to the bath room on Sakura's back, which resulted in a startled shout and Itachi bolting out of his room ready for a fight. Only to find Sakura hoping around trying to get the strings around her and Haru off so she could quickly change the two of them.

Fugaku walked in on them like that, Itachi trying to undo the ties on her front and Sakura standing with her back to Fugaku with Hana on Sakura's back and a rather large dark spot growing on her lower back where Hana sat. Aiko and Sasuke were busy laughing at their sibling's expanse, until they saw Fugaku then they just ran into Sasuke's room.

"What happened?" Fugaku asked as the last tie was removed and Sakura rushed into the bath room with Hana in her arms.

"Hana decided that she couldn't hold it in anymore," Itachi replied as he walked into his room, Itachi grabbed one of his shirts and a pair of his old pants, Itachi didn't look at Fugaku as he knocked on the bathroom door. "Sakura-san, can you open the door?"

"Umm, I'm not dressed," Sakura replied, Itachi could hear the sound of running water and the laughter and splashing of a baby.

"I brought you a shirt and pants." Itachi said calmly, holding both items in his hands waiting for the door to open. Slowly, the door squeaked open and Sakura's crimson face poked around it; Itachi raised an eye brow and offered the clothes to Sakura. She held her hand out to Itachi and he placed the clothes on her hand, Sakura quickly retreated back into the bathroom.

"Is there anything else you need?" Itachi asked,

"I need you to bring Aiko to me please," Sakura said Itachi went to Sasuke's room and made sure Aiko went to her sister's side. After a moment Itachi watched as the little girl ran into their room and came back running.

"Here you go Nee-chan! Your pink underwear!"

"AIKO!" cried Sakura, the little girl jumped away from the bathroom door and ran back to Sasuke laughing.

"I didn't need to know that," Itachi said as he headed to his room shaking his head, Fugaku mumbled to himself as he headed to the dining area. By the time Mikoto came home everyone was waiting for her at the entrance of the house. Fugaku, Itachi and Sakura all stood together and Aiko and Sasuke stood in front of them holding flowers; everyone was dressed in their finest cloths. Sakura and Aiko were dressed in a red and white, her boys were dressed in blues, greens and blacks.

"Welcome home mom/Miko!" chimed Sasuke and Aiko together, Aiko had decided that Miko was cuter and easier to say quickly then Mikoto, the said woman had accepted and given Aiko her permission this morning when the little girl brought it up.

"Welcome home mother," Itachi called, a soft smile on his face

"Welcome home Mikoto-sama" Sakura bowed politely, a hidden smile on her soft face

"Welcome home," mumbled Fugaku quietly; Mikoto couldn't help but smile at her family, even the new additions.

"Give me a hug!" Mikoto opened her arms wide and Sasuke and Aiko were rushing her together and nearly knocked her down. "Where's Hana?" she asked, looking at Sakura

"She's in the bedroom sleeping," Sakura answered, Mikoto nodded and turned her attention back to Sasuke and Aiko.

"Ah! Well I brought a gust; can you two be extra good for me?" Mikoto asked

"Yes!" chimed Sasuke and Aiko together.

"Good, Lord Hokage, Shisui, you can come in now." Mikoto called as she took her place beside Fugaku, who didn't look happy about the surprise. Itachi glanced at Sakura before he placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders; Aiko stood in front of Sakura once more.

"Whoa Itachi," Shisui whistled when he entered, "I knew you were fast but I didn't know you were _that_ fast."

"You'll pay for that," Itachi promised calmly, Shisui quickly took a step back behind the Hokage mocking Itachi with a fake fearful squeak and wide eyes; Sarutobi merely chuckled at him.

"It's been awhile Fugaku, Itachi." The Hokage greeted, "I hear that Sasuke is at the top of his class." Sasuke beamed at Aiko as the little pink haired girl decided that the wall was very interesting.

"That's wonderful," Mikoto chimed; Sakura quickly bowed to her gusts, her hand out stretched to the dining room.

"If you're hungry, dinner will be out in a moment." Sakura said calmly, Aiko took her place just behind Sakura and mimicked her almost perfectly. The Hokage chuckled as Aiko's pink ponytail flipped over head to smack her in her face. Everyone disappeared into the dining room, once seated the Hokage watched as Sakura brought out more dishes and gingerly placed them on the table. The only ones at the table were the Uchiha's, Aiko and the Hokage, the Hokage watched Sakura stand off to the side next to his Anbu guards.

"It's good to see you're doing well Haruno-san, Shisui-san tells me that you've found a name for yourself." The Hokage said eyeing Sakura's reserved placement against the wall.

"Yes Hokage-sama" Sakura replied calmly, "Mikoto-sama thought that 'Sakura' would be a good name for me."

"Ah, that's a good choice." The Hokage said approvingly, Mikoto smiled at her plate, "It fits you perfectly." Sakura watched as the family ate their dinner, the Hokage ate and spoke with Fugaku, but Sakura wasn't paying much attention to their conversation. She was busy identifying the strange chakra just outside the walls of the village closest to the Uchiha compound, Sakura swore she knew that chakra; she would just need to keep an eye on it, and take notes of course.

"Sakura-chan," called a voice, startled Sakura snapped to attention and saw Mikoto looking at her a little worriedly. "Is there something wrong Sakura-chan?"

"Of course not Mikoto-sama," Sakura answered and bowed slightly, she tilted her head to the side in confusion. Did she miss something? "Why do you ask?"

"Because something just beeped in the kitchen." Sakura's eyes widened and she took off like a bullet into the kitchen. She quickly salvaged the pie from the oven, opened a few windows, tried to cool the pie quickly, readied the plates and finally after several minutes, Sakura peaked out the door to the dining room. Everyone was still sitting and waiting patiently for her return, everyone but Itachi.

"What is this?" a voice from behind her startled Sakura into snapping around to face it. Itachi was looking at the pie with slight interest.

"A pie," Sakura answered as she grabbed the plates.

"I don't think I've ever seen a pie like this before." It was such a strange looking thing, as if had been cut before backed and each piece is a different flavor; how did she make it?

"Please don't touch it and don't talk to loudly please." Sakura whispered as she went to his side, placing the plates on the counter next to the pie, Sakura quickly spun Itachi around and gently pushed him to the door. "Please don't tell anyone about it, it was supposed to be a surprise." Itachi shrugged his shoulders and spun out of her reach gently.

"Your pushy for a guest," Itachi said calmly, Sakura decided that he could live without the knowledge that she now in fact worked for his mother. "At least tell me what's in it and I'll pretend to be surprised when you tell everyone about it."

"You'll be surprised when I tell you and everyone else about it in a moment," Sakura replied, "Now I need you to go back out so that I can finish in here and bring it to everyone." Itachi sighed and left, Sakura waited for a moment before she stepped out of the kitchen; a smile on her face.

"I hope you all have room for de—" Sakura couldn't finish her sentence, an explosion went off in the kitchen. As soon as Sakura felt the flash of heat on her back, Sakura forced her chakra out to cut it off from the rest of the house; she didn't think that the blast wave would hit her and everyone else. When Sakura opened her eyes she saw someone shaking her and someone else was calling her. Pain shock her body, she had to stop that, she had to fix her body, if she didn't start healing herself, then she was going to be in a lot of trouble and pain later.

…

Sakura came out of the kitchen, Mikoto glanced up at the girl quickly; a smile on her face.

"I hope you all have room for de—" Sakura started but never finished her sentence, Mikoto heard the explosion and watched as the fire moved towards them slowly, she moved towards Sasuke; but she wasn't fast enough. Mikoto watched as something exploded from Sakura, she quickly found herself hitting the wall and falling to the ground. When Mikoto opened her eyes again, she saw Itachi and Shisui holding Sasuke and Aiko, Fugaku was beside her and the Hokage and his guards were standing up again; some other family members were rushing towards them.

"Sakura," Mikoto whispered, "Sakura!" Mikoto jumped to her feet as quickly as she could and rushed to the downed girl.

"Nee-chan!" Aiko called, trying to look around Itachi, but he wouldn't have it. Itachi and Shisui quickly rushed Sasuke and Aiko into the next room. "Nee-chan!" Aiko cried out again. Mikoto kneeled down next to the pink haired girl; her back was burnt and bloodied, she could even see some bones, would this little girl survive?

"Sakura!" Mikoto called out, touching Sakura's shoulder and rolling her onto her side. "Sakura, wake up sweetheart! Wake up!" the girl's pulse was so low Mikoto wasn't sure if she'd make it. "Sakura!"

While Mikoto tried to wake Sakura up, Fugaku walked to the kitchen. What ever happened in the kitchen was quickly diverted up and out of the house; Fugaku kneeled down next to the chard floor. His kitchen was completely gone, like it was never even built; if not for the large black smudge before him, Fugaku wouldn't have thought that there was a room here to begin with.

"What do you think?" the Hokage asked kneeling next to Fugaku. "It couldn't have been Sakura; she's too gentle for this."

"I know," Fugaku said calmly, "These are chakra burns." Fugaku whispered to the Hokage, his fingers gently brushing at the edge of the explosion. "Did that flash of light come from her? Or was that just a chakra infused bomb?"

"Possibly Sakura," the Hokage answered "She's a genius at chakra control."

"What?" snapped Fugaku, "Why wasn't I told about this?"

"You didn't ask," The Hokage answered with a smile, "she was supposed to be a kinochi and living on her own, but she's living here…?" the Hokage left the question hang in the air, Fugaku nodded his head hesitantly. "She had an apartment lined up for her and the girls, why is she here?"

"Her sister kept the information when she left," Fugaku answered. "She saved my family," Fugaku started, turning towards his wife and the Anbu members trying to stabilize the pink haired girl. "It'd be a shame if she died…" the Hokage nodded his head. "If she makes it through this, she'll need someone to look after and take care of Aiko and Hana…" the Hokage nodded his head again. "Perhaps she could stay here until she's fully recovered—"

"Fugaku," Mikoto whispered, Fugaku looked at his wife and quickly kneeled next to her to look down at the tiny thirteen year old at Mikoto's feet. The Anbu member gently pulled Sakura down to show her back, there was a massive green glow surrounding her back.

"What's happening?" Mikoto glanced at Fugaku as he activated his Sharingan and for once in his life he didn't understand what was being done before him. Sakura's chakra was healing the worse of her burns, her blood wasn't flowing anymore, and if he looked close enough; Fugaku could see were some of her flesh was rebuilding itself, even her skin was growing back.

"She's healing…" Fugaku answered "She's healing herself in her sleep."

"She's not asleep," stated one of the Anbu members, Fugaku looked up at him sharply. "Her eyes are fluttering; it's possible she might be fighting to stay conscience."

"We have to get her into the hospital quickly." The other Anbu member said calmly, "We don't want her to heal around something that could be bad for her."

"S-shut—shut up," snapped out a horse voice, "I'm- I'm not… some n-newbie you— you jerk." Sakura was pushing against her body's will, forcing herself to sit up against the protests of those around her. "Aiko," Sakura whispered as she thumped against Mikoto, her breathing hard. "Aiko… Hana…" she felt something brush against her shoulders gently, Fugaku draped his coat over her shoulders so that the rest of her blouse wouldn't fall and reveal everything that was under it.

"Itachi! Shisui!" Sakura heard the deep cry of the person who was holding her up; she heard more startled shouts but only one cut through her foggy mind.

"Nee-chan!" the voice cried out, Sakura lifted her head and smiled at Aiko; who was struggling against Shisui. "Nee-chan!" slowly Sakura lifted her hand towards Aiko and silently told the girl to come to her, Shisui let go and Aiko was barreling into Sakura's chest; tears streaming down her cheeks. "Nee-chan!" Sakura chuckled at the eight year old in her arms.

"Don't…. cry… Imoto," Sakura rasped, she rubbed her hand against the little girl's back; Aiko looked up at Sakura, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's up… to you to— to protect Hana… now." Sakura whispered, she moved a lock out of Aiko's eyes, "You have to be… a big girl now," Sakura slumped forward and she would have toppled Aiko, if not for Mikoto grabbing onto her shoulders.

"Nee-chan?" Aiko whispered up to her sister, "Nee-chan?" Aiko called again, "Nee-chan!" Aiko cried out, she felt someone pick her up and she was being pulled away again. "NO! Nee-chan! DON'T GO! Don't leave me! Nee-chan! NOT AGAI—IN!"

Shisui pulled Aiko away forcefully; he never knew an eight year old would be so strong. Shisui quickly knocked Aiko out and carried her back to the room where Itachi was with the baby and Sasuke. The baby had been crying furiously since before they entered the room, but at least it was quieter with Itachi then it was with him; Shisui swore the little brat went three times louder when he held her.

"What happened?" Shisui mumbled to himself as he held Aiko tightly in his arms, he wasn't entirely sure himself. He only knew that he never wanted that to happen ever again. "Itachi did you see anything strange in the kitchen?" Itachi shook his head, Shisui sat on the bed in the room, Aiko was still crying in his arms and Sasuke was trying not to show how scared he was; the smell of burning flesh still burned his nose. Whenever Sasuke looked at Aiko, he saw Sakura lying on the ground, bloody and dyeing, there was nothing he could do because he was too week…

"Sasuke look at me," Itachi demanded suddenly, Sasuke immanently did as he was told, mildly startled at the tone in Itachi's voice. "It's not your fault," Itachi kneeled in front of him, why was he so clear? "The bomb isn't your fault," Itachi said again, "You're not week for not noticing it." Itachi's eyes were red too; Sasuke briefly wondered why Itachi had his Sharingan activated. Sasuke rubbed at his eyes, they stung and he was getting a headache, every time he looked into Itachi's eyes he felt like sleeping and eventually he caved in and let his heavy eye lids fall close.

"Did it activate?" Shisui asked as he laid Aiko next to Sasuke on the bed, Itachi let out a heavy sigh. "Sasuke's in for a rude awakening then…" Itachi picked up the wailing infant Hana and pace the room once more, what was he going to do now? If Sakura dies then his mother would raise holy hell to get custody of Hana and Aiko and if he thought that protecting Sasuke was hard, then he was in a world of trouble. Because if Sakura dies and his mother gets what she wants, then he would have two new troubles and endless worry; he really didn't need Sakura dying right now…

…


	2. Chapter 2: Trouble

_Italics= _thoughts

_Because if Sakura dies and his mother gets what she wants, then he would have two new troubles and endless worry; he really didn't need Sakura dying right now…_

…

The Anbu rushed like hell caring Sakura to the hospital, the nurses and doctors immanently rushed her into urgent care. Sakura was still healing herself when they arrived and the Uchiha's were promptly kicked out of the room. Mikoto was pacing the white hall way like a furious panther waiting to be let lose, she was holding Hana who just wasn't going to shut up any time soon, at least she was quieter then she as the house.

"When is she going to come out?" Mikoto said for the hundredth time, even the Hokage glanced at Fugaku and let out a sigh. Mikoto was way too worried, the doctors said that Sakura would live, but she had to be treated for chakra depletion; that was five minutes ago.

"Is she going to be okay?" Mikoto asked her husband as she paused in front of him again, Fugaku nodded his head again. Mikoto was going through stages of Worry, wiry hope and vengeance.

"I'll kill the person who did this!" Mikoto said some minutes later, Fugaku rolled his eyes as the process repeated itself once more. An hour after Mikoto sat down for a quick rest, the doors of the emergency room opened and Mikoto's eyes snapped opened.

She was on her feet in seconds and watched as the nurses rolled a bed out, the person in the bed was covered in a white sheet, even their face was covered; all they saw was that it was a child and it was clearly a girl. Mikoto watched as the nurses walked past, did she see pink hair there or was that her imagination? The doctor paused before her; was that regret in his eyes? Mikoto felt her husband's hands on her shoulders, Sakura hadn't made it…

"I'm sorry…" the man whispered, Mikoto chocked on a sob before she quickly berried herself into her husband's arms. She let her tears fall as she melted into the embrace of her husband, even Hana seemed to understand what had happened; she was quiet too and tugged on Mikoto's hair every time one of her tears hit her head. Suddenly the doors burst open and out rushed the man that had taken Sakura hours before, he locked eyes with the doctor before Mikoto and scowled.

"Hintaga-san!" the doctor snapped out rudely "Did you tell them that Sakura Haruno was dead?"

"No, who's Sakura Haruno?" the man, Hintaga, answered, Mikoto nearly killed the doctor before her.

"You gave me a heart attack!" she screeched, Fugaku held onto the shoulders of his wife easily as she tried to lung toward the doctor; fortunately she was only able to give him a black eye. "I should kill you!" Hintaga looked up at Mikoto in startled bewilderment, what the hell did he do?

"If you could take us to Sakura-san's room, that'd be great." Sarutobi said calmly addressing the thirteen year old's doctor.

"As you wish lord Hokage," the man said calmly as he gestured to a set of stairs nearby. "If you're willing to walk, her room is on the second floor. She's recovering right now so you can't stay for long." Mikoto practically flew passed him, Fugaku walked calmly beside Sarutobi and the doctor. It wasn't long before they were all standing within the recovery room of Sakura Haruno and even Fugaku had to turn away at the sight before him. She had tubs sticking out her arms, in her nose and a hose was stuffed down her throat to keep her breathing.

"She'll be like this for awhile, a few days at most," the doctor said as he continued checking her vitals and reading her charts. "She should wake up some time tomorrow; she'll have to stay with us for the next three days after she wakes up to make sure the poison doesn't spread—"

"Poison? When was she poisoned?" Fugaku asked, interrupting the doctor. The man looked up at him startled, at the new information.

"Well I assumed she was poisoned during the explosion," the doctor replied, "It's a fairly strong poison, but it can be treated. Now I was saying that she'll have to stay a few days after she wakes up, after that she can return home. But she shouldn't return to work for a month or two, not until she's completely healed."

Mikoto nodded her head as she held Hana close to her, looking down at the tiny year old, Mikoto saw the tiny baby was starring at Sakura sleepily. Suddenly the baby yawned and rested her pink haired head on Mikoto's shoulder and fell asleep, Mikoto decided right then that she wasn't going to allow Sakura to die; she'd find the person responsible for Sakura's injuries and they were going to regret ever being born…

…

Itachi decided that he was going to kill the person responsible for ruining his life. Since Sakura was trapped in the hospital, Sasuke and Aiko had to sleep with him and Hana slept with his mother; and he knew that his father wasn't happy about it. Hana had been crying each night for an hour strait before she'd go to sleep; his mother was completely distraught and right as she was about to pull her hair out, Hana would go to sleep.

Itachi looked at his alarm clock, five past two; lovely. No sleep again, Itachi let out a sigh. At least Sakura woke up and confirmed that the spark of chakra that protected them had indeed come from her, and that she hadn't noticed being poisoned. Her doctor nearly had a heart attack when Sakura stood up from her bed and tried leave, he pulled rank on her and she was forced to stay in bed for another two days regardless of what she informed him of her physical condition.

Today would be the day that Sakura would return home and start her recovery at the Uchiha house. Itachi remembered the day she woke up, his mother refused to leave her side even for a moment and Fugaku was about two seconds away from dragging her home, kicking and screaming if he had to…

"_I'm not leaving!" Mikoto snapped out "Not until she wakes up and I know for sure she's alright!" at that precise moment, just before Fugaku could say anything, a sleepy, pain filled groan sounded in the room. "Sakura!" Mikoto called as she reached for the girl's hand._

"_Mikoto-sama?" Sakura mumbled sleepily, "Where am I?" she rubbed sleepily at her eyes before she looked around her room again. "Oh…"_

"_Sakura-san do you know where you are?" Fugaku asked, his brows forward_

"_Yeah, I'm in the hospital." Sakura answered as she glanced at Fugaku before she returned her eyes to Mikoto. "Why are you here?"_

"_Why shouldn't I be here?" Snapped Mikoto rubbing tears away from her eyes "You ungrateful brat! I was scared to death!" Sakura smiled gently at Mikoto._

"_No, I was wondering why you didn't let yourself get any sleep." Sakura clarified_

"_Oh…" Mikoto whispered a blush on her cheeks "I was worried, I didn't want to leave yet…" Sakura chuckled at Mikoto, a blush dusting her own cheeks._

"_You didn't need to worry Mikoto-sama, I'll be fine." Sakura reassured her calmly, "I'll be returning to your care by this evening." Mikoto shook her head, this girl was amazing. After miraculously surviving a bomb at point blank range, she healed herself almost perfectly, and then had the gull to return to work the next day as if nothing happened._

"_No Sakura, you've been poisoned," Mikoto said, "You have to stay here for a few days before you can come home again."_

"_Poisoned?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side as her eyes glazed over, "I don't detect any poison in my system and I don't feel poisoned either." Sakura locked eyes with Mikoto once more "Why do you think I'm poisoned? I'm immune to most poisons."_

"_Sakura why didn't you say you were a kinochi?" Fugaku asked suddenly, Sakura looked up at him._

"_I thought it was pretty self explanatory," Sakura said without blinking, "I mean how many civilians do you know travel by giant fans?" okay so she had a point on that one_

"_Or how many civilians do you know have dodged a very angry Anbu leveled woman whose out for blood and still not get hurt by said furious Anbu leveled woman?" Fugaku decided that he wasn't being observant enough and that he'd study her actions when she returned to work the fallowing week; But then again, she'd only been with them for a day and he'd barely been with her for more than an hour; so it was understandable if he didn't notice right away, although he'd never admit out loud._

…

Itachi let out another sigh, Shisui was getting closer again and if he didn't get out of the tangled mess that was Sasuke and Aiko wrapped around him, then he was never going to hear the end of it. As carefully as he could, Itachi retracted himself from the two and he would have been successful; if Aiko wasn't such a light sleeper.

"Itachi-Nii-san…" Aiko mumbled sleepily, Itachi froze; he really didn't need Sasuke waking up right now. "What are you doing?" Itachi removed himself from his bed and kneeled in front of the tiny pink haired girl.

"Today is the day your sister comes home," Itachi said lowly as he placed the blankets back over her and Sasuke. "I was going to go pick her up so that when you woke up she'd be here for you." Aiko's eyes popped open, they were a strange color of green; didn't Aiko have pupils?

"How's your head doing? Do you still have a headache?" Itachi placed his hand on Aiko's head, she was slightly feverish, but nothing worth being concerned about. He knew her Chakra was getting used up and the veins by her eyes were starting to get a little concerning; she'd been like this since Shisui knocked her out. She looked like a pink haired, green eyed Hyuuga…

"I'm fine," Aiko whispered gently, she snuggled close to Sasuke, "Nee-sama will take care of it when she comes home, if she's okay." Aiko whispered the second part so softly Itachi almost didn't hear her. Itachi let out sigh and rubbed his hand over her head, gently moving her pink bangs out of her eyes.

"I'll be back soon, before you wake a second time." Itachi promised, he just hoped Sasuke wouldn't wake the poor girl while he was gone. "Sleep tight," Itachi whispered gently as he leaped out of his window.

"Shisui, watch over them." Before his older cousin could reply Itachi was gone, Shisui stood outside Itachi's window calmly, his eyebrow feeling remarkably itchy.

"Well fine then, party pooper…" Shisui mumbled as he jumped into his cousin's room, the pink haired girl didn't respond to his presences; after all they both knew the other was awake.

"You haven't slept for two days kid," Shisui spoke softly, "You chakra is draining rapidly too, if you don't rest you'll never recover." Okay so he was lying about the kid's chakra, but she shouldn't even know what chakra is at her age. He was telling the truth about her not sleeping, he knew Itachi noticed too; the girl refused to sleep until she could be with her sister again. Shisui leaned against Itachi's bedroom wall and closed his eyes; he spread out his senses and 'watched' as the Anbu and a few family members did rounds around their house and the compound protectively.

…

_As Itachi walked towards the hospital, he remembered a few days ago when he first met the Haruno girls. They were sent out to check the permit miter of the Konoha village wall on the north-east distract; when they got to the edge of the wall they heard the screams of children. It took Itachi only seconds to determine where they would most likely land, his team was rushing there so fast it almost made him dizzy; there shouldn't have been children there to begin with!_

_Itachi watched with amazement as one of them revealed a fan, he slowed when he saw that two shadows had hit the fan remarkably well; he nearly had a heart attack when he saw one of the shadow's fall from the edge of the fan. His blood nearly froze at the sound of that terrified scream, he pushed himself to his limits; he was going to catch that child if it killed him!_

_Itachi watched as a second shadow fell from the fan, he watched as the two collided together, he watched as he saw a flash of pink and then something red. Itachi doubted he moved so fast in his entire life. Before he knew it, Itachi was leaping forward into open air and catching the falling person; the person was too heavy to let him keep his balance so he jumped down the rest of the way to the ground. He had to make sure to use the trees around him to help him to land without harming the person he caught._

_Itachi starred at the girl in his arms, she was a little older then he was, she had cotton candy pink hair and porcine white skin. As she opened her eyes, Itachi saw that she had the most dazzling green eyes he'd ever seen._

"_Are you alright?" Itachi kicked himself for his voice coming out so week sounding, even to his own ears he sounded dazed and confused. _She was supposed to be the confused one!_ Itachi saw the girl in his arms give a deep sigh and practically shoved the red haired child in her arms off of her._

…

Itachi stopped in front of the hospital, come to think of it, when he first met that older sister of Sakura's, he was ready to beat the snot out of her. He wasn't happy about underestimating her, he had nearly depleted himself in getting to her to save her from that fall; he really should have known better then to assume that her weak chakra signature meant that she was weak as well. Clearly she knew how to use what little chakra she had.

Suddenly someone approached the hospital and they didn't look like they were there to visit, Itachi raised an eye brow at the stranger approaching the hospital. Clearly he wasn't a doctor or nurse, nor did he need medical attention, the stranger was glancing around himself worriedly and after a moment of hesitation he ducked down the side of the building. If he was a visitor he would have walked through the hospital front doors, what reason did he have to go down the side of the hospital? Was he going to sneak into someone's room?

Itachi spread out his senses and felt the chakra of the strange man rush past a few rooms before he slowed, Itachi narrowed his eyes as he felt Sakura's gentile chakra not fare from the strange man outside the hospital. Sakura's chakra was calm and had a gentle peaceful rhythm, as if she was a sleep; the stranger's chakra was a fast frantic beat of aggravation and desperation.

Itachi felt the stranger's chakra freeze just before and below Sakura's chakra signature; it occurred to him that the stranger was standing on the ground floor just before Sakura's window. Curious, Itachi moved forward and watched the man from around the corner, the man was staring up at Sakura's window, he couldn't see the man's face; but Itachi felt the man's chakra fill with regret and sadness, but the overwhelming fear and desperation is what caught Itachi's attention.

Itachi rushed forward when he saw the man jump and through something at Sakura's window, just before he reached the man the explosion knocked him back words away from the man. Just as he landed he saw the man take off for the closest exist, Itachi decided that the man just ruined his life; so he was going to return the favor tenfold.

The man didn't get to leave the premises of the hospital before Itachi round housed his head straight into the ground, every time he tried to stand he received another round house to his head or chest. After about three minutes of getting the crud kicked out of him, the man decided that staying on his back and not moving was the best bet at staying alive.

Once the man stopped moving Itachi moved forward and grabbed the man by his arm and hauled him back to the hospital. When he got back to the explosion site he found the Anbu were standing just below Sakura's room, immanently Itachi felt Sakura's soft chakra and saw her pink hair resting against one of the Anbu members' shoulders. Itachi through the black and blue man at the Anbu team's feet, Sakura peaked around the Anbu member's back and looked at him tiredly.

"He set off the explosion," Itachi explained calmly before he turned to the Anbu member holding Sakura on his back.

"I was able to get her out before the explosion," the man said calmly as he set Sakura down on the ground. She held on to him for support as a medic Nin checked her for any injuries, once he was done, Itachi quickly placed one of Sakura's arms around his neck.

"Thank you for your help," Sakura smiled at the Anbu calmly, Itachi nodded his head at the team and quickly left for the roof tops. Once he got to the first roof top, Itachi slipped his arm under Sakura's knees and carried her back to the compound as fast as he was willing to go without seeming to be rushed.

"How in the world do you get Hana to go to sleep at night?" Itachi suddenly asked Sakura as he landed before the entrance to the compound, Sakura looked up at him and smiled. She tried to place her feet on the ground so she could walk, but Itachi just kept walking.

"Normally we all take a bath just before bed," Sakura said lowly, Itachi thought he was going to go insane if something as simple as a routine was keeping him from his sleep. "Has she been given her nightly bath?" by his silence Sakura guessed that that was a no, she chuckled as Itachi placed her on her feet again.

"You were ordered to take it easy," Itachi said as he opened the door to the house, completely ignoring the gaping hole next to the front door that was once the kitchen. He was carrying Sakura down the hall of his home towards the rooms as he continued to speak to her Sakura calmly. "So I expect you to stay in bed once I get you to your room, Aiko will most likely join you soon after." Itachi paused in the middle of the hall; he just remembered something about Aiko, something that had been troubling him since the explosion.

"Something has been going on with Aiko's eyes," Itachi said slowly as he opened the door to Sakura's and Aiko's room. "She's losing chakra—"

"Are her eyes any other color then green?" Sakura asked as she cut him off, Itachi shook his head and pulled back the blankets on her bed. "Are there veins close to her eyes?" Itachi nodded as Sakura sat down, she sighed deeply and fell over onto her pillow.

"Nothing to worry about," Sakura yawned sleepily, "It's just the third stage, that's all."

"Third stage?" Itachi asked as he covered Sakura with her blankets, she nodded tiredly.

"I would have thought your mother would have told you by now," Sakura rubbed at her eyes on the verge of passing out. "I'm going to have to find someone to train her…" and then she was asleep, Itachi starred at Sakura for a moment.

So there was a blood line in the Haruno clan, Shisui thought so but he wasn't sure, he figured it was the only reason why the fowl mouthed older sister was chosen and not this younger girl who clearly out ran her elder sister for a living. The older sister must be stronger in their blood line then Sakura; that was curious, because he'd never seen Sakura use a blood line. In less her blood line was the ability to create a solid wall made out of Chakra, Itachi wasn't stupid; he saw Sakura create that wall around the kitchen with her chakra.

Itachi stood up and walked back to his room, it was barely five thirty in the morning; the happenings after the explosion took longer than he thought. When he entered his room, Itachi saw Shisui was asleep against the wall; even drool was dripping down his chin. Itachi couldn't help but kick his cousin in the side, forcing the older boy to fall onto his side harshly. As Shisui got up wildly searching for his attacker, Itachi calmly stood by his bed and placed his hand on Aiko's shoulder.

"Aiko-chan," Itachi whispered gently, "Aiko-chan your sister's home." Aiko's eyes popped open almost immanently; he chuckled as Aiko tried to untangle herself from Sasuke. Once Aiko was untangled, she raised her hands towards Itachi and he gently picked her up from the bed, he carefully placed her on his hip and quickly recovered Sasuke. Aiko wrapped herself around his side and laid her head on his shoulder sleepily, Itachi heard Shisui stifle a chuckle; immanently Itachi headed towards his door and threw two shiriken at Shisui. Said boy was busy trying not to be too loud in his protests because he knew that Itachi would kill him if Sasuke woke up.

"Aiko-chan," Itachi whispered to the girl in the hallway "You have to be really quiet because Sakura-san is very tired." Aiko looked up at him with her strange green eyes and nodded her head. When Itachi opened the door to the girl's room, Itachi felt Aiko stiffen in his arms, quietly and gently, Itachi placed Aiko on the floor and gently pushed her towards her sister.

Aiko looked up at him as if she was terrified to be alone with Sakura, Itachi understood; Sakura was already small for her age. Getting placed in that fake coma for a day and half didn't do her any favors, now Sakura looked like she was never going to wake up. Her skin was too pale and her hands looked fare to skinny for his liking, her back was still heavily bruised from the explosion; the one thing she couldn't heal was the deep tissue damage the doctor ordered her not to treat or he was going to place chakra restraints on her.

"Nee-chan," Aiko whispered gently, Itachi watched as Aiko waited patiently for her sister to respond. "Nee-chan," Aiko whispered again, reaching out with a trembling hand to touch her sister's hand under the blanket. "Nee-chan…"

Suddenly Sakura groaned Aiko looked back at Itachi worriedly; he nodded his head at her, as if this was a good sign. Aiko turned back to her sister lying on the bed as if she were dead, gently Aiko placed her hand back onto the bed; gently she brushed her fingers over her sister's covered hand. Sakura groaned and scrunched her eyes tightly before she turned her head to look down at Aiko and then she smiled at the little girl so brightly Itachi was slightly shocked that she still had enough energy to smile so brightly.

"Amazing," Shisui whispered to Itachi, Itachi felt his cousin lean on the other side of the door way. "She still has the energy to smile like that after everything that happened? She's stronger then she looks." Itachi nodded his head as Aiko mumbled something to Sakura, Sakura smiled gently at Aiko and moved over just enough for Aiko to climb up and lay next to her sister.

"You were right by the way," Itachi whispered as he closed the door and headed down the hall way towards the dining room. "The Haruno clan does have a blood line," Shisui made a startled sound and quickly fallowed after him.

"Are you serious? I was just being sarcastic before, but when I noticed Aiko-chan's eyes I figured I might have been more right than I thought." Shisui let out a low whistle, "Glad to know I wasn't totally off the mark."

"Yes for once you were right," Itachi agreed, Shisui glared at him.

"Were you told anything by the Anbu squad?" Shisui asked as he sat at the dining room table.

"No, they've been going to the Hokage and father first." Itachi replied, he took a sip of his tea.

"Hay! Where'd you get that?" Shisui asked a little too loudly, Itachi glared at him and pointed to the front door.

"Some family members leave some food and drink by our door; I saw the pile on my way in" Itachi answered calmly, Shisui stuck his tong out at Itachi and headed to the front door; when he returned he held an arm full of baskets.

"Geez Itachi," Shisui groaned as he placed the stacked baskets onto the table, "How many admirers do you have?" Shisui asked pointedly reminding Itachi from when they were in the academy, Shisui snickered at Itachi's annoyed glare and reached for a nearby card.

"My Dear Itachi" Shisui started as if reading a love letter; he stopped when he saw that it wasn't Itachi's name on the card. "My, I was wrong." Shisui chuckled as he passed the card over to Itachi. "These are treats for Sakura-chan." Itachi quietly read the small note on the card and set it down as Shisui handed him another, already opened and read by the older boy.

"There thank you gifts," Shisui said as he continued to read the cards from his family members. Itachi hadn't realized how thankful his family was to Sakura for saving their main head's family; some of them were unmarked and some only signed by a name, but the meaning was all the same.

"I didn't know that some of these people even liked us," Itachi whispered as he eyed a box from one of his cousins.

"Mai-chan isn't all that stupid you know," Shisui answered, "She just doesn't know how to act around cute boys so she just runs a way while shouting profanities at you." Shisui poked at a basket that held muffins, under which held carefully wrapped clothes; at least Mai was smart enough to leave off the Uchiha symbol.

Itachi glanced at a few other baskets, not all of them were food, some held things for Hana, others were stuffed animals for Aiko, but there were many things for Sakura. Some baskets held clothes, some food, some stuff animals, some books, one even held a few weapons; Itachi all ready guessed who that was from.

"Good morning boys," Mikoto called from the hall way, Hana was nowhere in sight, "My that's a lot of goodies." She said at the sight of all the baskets. "Were in the world are we going to put all the baskets?" Fugaku came around the corner looking for Mikoto in the dining room; Hana was asleep in his arms.

"Mikoto—" Fugaku started before he saw Itachi and Shisui, Mikoto giggled as she stepped away from Fugaku, giving the boys a good look at the older man. Fugaku was holding Hana with one arm under her legs and one hand on her back, Hana had her tiny fists in his Yukata tightly and drooling on his shoulder; apparently asleep.

"So the rumors are true," Shisui whispered amazed at the sight before him.

"You _saw_ nothing, you'll _say_ nothing" Fugaku said warningly to Shisui before turning back to Mikoto. "Hana woke up, please take her." Mikoto giggled and stepped away from her husband, an oddly evil glint in her normally warm brown eyes.

"But she whines when I hold her in the mornings," Mikoto said, laughter in her voice echoed cruelly in Fugaku's ears; how cruel Mikoto could be when she wished to be. "She likes you most."

"Although I don't understand why," Itachi whispered coldly to himself, Fugaku snorted and turned away from the boys.

"Mikoto just take her," Fugaku said as he tried to give the tiny toddler to Mikoto, as soon as she was away from him, Hana started crying loudly. Instantly Fugaku struggled to place her back into his arms to calm her down, seemingly oddly frustrated at the fussy baby. Looking back up at Mikoto for one last plea, he saw his wife rise a blacken brow as she crossed her arms.

"She likes you best," Mikoto said, a smile gracing her face, "By this evening she'll want me to hold her." Fugaku sighed and sat at the table and noticed the baskets for the first time.

"Where are we going to put all of those?" Fugaku mumbled to himself as he adjusted Hana in his arms.

"They're all for Sakura," Shisui said helpfully, "some are gifts for Aiko and Hana, but their mostly for Sakura."

"Why don't we put them in her room?" Mikoto asked, a light making her face glow "I mean we've got two very special ninja here, we might as well use them."

"Mother please, I know Shisui is specially minded but it's not nice to group me with him." Itachi answered his mother as he took hold of three baskets and quietly walked to Sakura's room, Shisui grumbling quietly after him. They weren't even half way down the hall when they heard the Anbu practically break down the walls in their mad rush to reach Fugaku and Mikoto.

"Uchiha-san!" one of the men called out of breath, "You need to take your family and evacuate the estate!"

"What?" snapped Fugaku, Hana whimpered in his arms as he stood up at the sudden entrance of the several Anbu. "What are you talking about?"

"There are still bombs attached to your house! Their filled with poison that'll spread to the rest of the estate through air and touch after the explosion." The Anbu answered quickly, "We've already had several of our men hospitalized because of the poison; you need to leave NOW!" Mikoto quickly took Hana into her arms as Fugaku turned down their hall way, his voice booming throughout the house.

"Itachi, Shisui! Grab Sakura and Aiko! I'll get Sasuke, we're leaving now!" Itachi and Shisui dropped their baskets and rushed to Sakura and Aiko's room, Shisui quickly picked up Aiko who was breathing rapidly, while Itachi scooped Sakura into his arms. They both rushed down the hall as Fugaku carried a frightened Sasuke in his arms, they met with Mikoto outside as they rushed to the quarantine placement.

"We have to make sure that not all of you have been poisoned," a Medic nin called out to the mass of Uchiha's, "Once you've been cleared you can return home, if not you'll be sent to the hospital immanently. Now Fugaku-san could you and your family step forward, your family has the most contact with the poison."

Fugaku stepped forward, Sasuke held tightly in his hand as Mikoto stepped forward with Hana, Itachi still held the very weak Sakura and Shisui stepped forward refusing to let go of Aiko until she was cleared. The medic took one look at Aiko and started giving orders to some Anbu close by who were already making preparations for her departure to the hospital; it was concerning how red her face was and how quickly her breathing was.

Itachi sighed gratefully when Mikoto and Hana were cleared with green lights; Sasuke was too, Fugaku wasn't so lucky. His poison amounts were small but just enough to send him to the hospital just in case, Shisui and Itachi weren't lucky either. What Shocked Itachi was that Sakura's readings shot up as well, she was clean when she came home, but now her poison readings were nearly sky rocketing. The medic-nin practically ordered the closest Anbu members to run to the hospital with Sakura and Aiko like their lives depended on it, Mikoto's sharp glare of warning only encouraged them to rush.

Itachi watched as his neighbors were sent onto the bus to the hospital and even many who had sent baskets were ordered to the hospital for fascinations; a few of his family members didn't even get on the bus, they were placed in Anbu member's arms and were at the hospital almost immanently after.

Itachi found it was odd to see so many of his clansmen at the hospital's poison unit, Itachi was placed next to Sakura and Aiko, Shisui and Fugaku weren't to fare away either. Itachi was shocked to see Mai, she was so sick with poison she couldn't even open her eyes; the doctors placed her on her bed before leaving her to her parents. The doctors only shook their heads at Mai's mother, Itachi leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh; Mai wasn't expected to make it. It wasn't long before the more desperate members were taken; even Sakura and Aiko were taken for the stabilization unites.

After half a day, Shisui was starting to feel the effects of the poison, that evening Itachi was starting to feel it too; even Fugaku was in a fevered sleep an hour after they took Sakura and Aiko away. The next day Shisui was taken away to the stabilization units, Itachi decided that the stabilization units weren't the best place to be, since it seemed that less and less people were coming back from them. After that decision Itachi lost track of time, he was fading in and out, he kept seeing more people leaving then returning, but he saw no one rejoicing; only crying and wailing in pain and sorrow. Itachi wasn't sure when he finally passed out, but he heard a huge commotion as the lights died out from his vision.

…

The next time Itachi woke up, he found himself in the recovery section of the hospital, Sasuke was asleep next to him and Mikoto and Fugaku were lying next to each other in the corner of his room. It took him fare longer then he liked to look at the other side of the room, only to see Shisui sitting up in his bed looking back at him with a smile.

"Nice to see you again sleeping beauty," Shisui smiled at Itachi, "You've been out for a week, they only gave you the antidote two days ago you know; the doctors were concerned that they might not have gotten it to you soon enough." Itachi blinked at him, he was out for two days after the antidote? Why did he sleep for so long?

"Sasuke…" Itachi whispered gently, "Sasuke," gently Itachi brushed some hair off his little brother's face.

"Nii-san? Nii-san!" called a startled voice, instantly Sasuke was in Itachi's arms, joyfully calling him again and again as if it was a spell that would make him heal faster. Itachi heard his mother gasp and call to him as well as several other voices whisper and call out, finally being able to sit up after someone pushed his bed's up button; Itachi took a good look around himself for the first time since he woke up. He saw a lot of familiar faces, even Mai was giving him a week smile from her bed not far away, but he didn't see any pink hair or green eyes, he didn't even see Hana.

"Mother," Itachi called to his mother who stood next to him, "Where is Hana, Aiko and Sakura?" his voice was weak but he felt his mother's hand freeze against his head were she was brushing stray black hair away from his eyes.

"Mother…?" Itachi whispered, Sasuke wasn't speaking either, he was just shaking. Itachi took a look around the room again; no one was looking at him, not even his father.

"They… they didn't… didn't make it," Mikoto whispered as she removed her hand from him and wrapped her arms around her as if she wanted to keep the cold off of her. Her tears were fighting to fall, but he could still hear the tremor in her voice as she slowly lost it.

"Hana got sick… a little after you… and Shisui… placed in the stabilization chambers… too little…" Mikoto broke down sobbing, her voice no longer worked; Itachi felt as if his whole world fell away. Hana was only a year old, she was cleared at the first screening, she showed promise of an excellent marksman… how could someone so full of light, suddenly die?

"What about Sakura or Aiko? Did they make it?" Itachi asked, his strength in voice surprised even him, considering he felt like a ton of weight was just slammed onto his shoulders. Mikoto shook as she collapsed, her head slowly twisting in a negative.

"Aiko… too little… to young… not strong… enough…" Mikoto sobbed out, Itachi could just barely understand her.

"Sakura?" Itachi whispered, his voice was soft even to his own ears. Seeing his mother sob uncontrobaly like that only conformed his earlier thoughts, but he wanted to hear, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating; then he'd properly see her body just too doubly make sure.

"Too weak…" His mother sobbed, even Sasuke was crying now, strange how quiet Sasuke was; he was usually so bubbly. "Not strong… too weak…" that confused Itachi greatly, sure Sakura was in a poor state when he last saw her, but she had quickly beaten the poison before, why wasn't she strong enough to beat it a second time?

"_Ah Itachi-sama!"_ Itachi heard Sakura's voice the afternoon after Sakura's sister ditched her, he heard Sakura's voice in his head, as if it echoed in a cannon. _"Itachi-sama!"_ it was strange how close her voice sounded, Itachi sighed and leaned against his bed tiredly. _"Itachi-sama!"_ this time her voice sounded panicked, why was he remembering her voice this way? She only called his name that the one time when he surprised her that evening of the bomb.

"_Itachi!"_ that sounded like Shisui, but Shisui was next to him and clearly he didn't call to him. Slowly Itachi watched as the people around him slowly faded, suddenly Itachi felt as if someone punched him in his chest.

"_ITACHI—!"_

…

A day after Shisui was placed in the stabilization chamber the doctors working on an antidote for the poison realized that Sakura Haruno just might be their answer. They quickly took a blood sample from her and isolated the thing that made her overcome the poison the first time around.

Her blood had a lot of poison abuse, but she was virtually a cure for this nasty poison that was making such havoc on the Uchiha's. It took the team of scientist another half day to isolate the cure and reproduce it, by that time Itachi Uchiha was taken into the stabilization room for those who were about to die.

The team quickly disrupted the Antidote to those who needed it most in the stabilization chambers, then quickly gave the shot to those who were still in the poison center awaiting to either die or overcome the poison. The teams weren't happy that they lost nearly ten of their patients, but it was better than the thirty in the stabilization chambers or the hundred others still in the fever stage of the poison or the twenty who were slowly dying.

An hour after receiving the antidote, the doctors placed Itachi in the recovering wing and aloud visitors. Mikoto held Hana in one arm and Sasuke's hand in the other, she was told of her son's recovery placement and with hope shinning in her sleep deprived eyes, Mikoto and Sasuke ran for Itachi's room. When they arrived Fugaku was standing in the doorway tiredly, when they approached he gave Mikoto a kiss and a hug. He might not have showed it when he should have, but Fugaku did love his family; he was more than happy to hold his wife and youngest son in his arms again. Fugaku gently pushed Sasuke into the room and wrapped his arm around Mikoto; he placed his head close to her ear as they stood next to Itachi's bed.

"He called for you and Sasuke," Fugaku mumbled in Mikoto's ear, she sighed happily and snuggled closer to him.

"I remember when Itachi used to fallow you around, like Sasuke does with Itachi," Mikoto whispered in return, Fugaku let out a sigh and leaned heavily against his wife; who promptly moved him to a nearby chair and placed him in it.

"I wish that War hadn't hit so close to home," Fugaku whispered as he looked at Itachi, he'd rather die than admit that he was scared for his eldest. "Then he would still be here and certain things never would have happened." Mikoto nodded her head as she rested her hand on her husband's shoulder, it was a hidden fact that Itachi had a twin brother and that the war had killed him when he was four. Fugaku didn't want to bury another child, so he drove Itachi into training, he wasn't satisfied until he knew for curtain that Itachi would be okay no matter the attach; but a poison attach never quite crossed his mind.

"When are we going to tell him about Shinta?" Mikoto asked her husband, before he could answer a nurse stepped in, looking every bit a frazzled woman ready to beat someone into submission.

"Uchiha-san!" the woman snapped out, "You were not given permission to leave your room!"

"I'm visiting my son," Fugaku snapped back "Go away, your annoying me." Mikoto chuckled at her husband and sent an applojectic smile to the nurse.

"Oh no, you don't—" before the nurse could continue someone else interrupted her.

"Don't worry ma'am, if anything happens to him I'll call for you." Mikoto looked at the door way to see Shisui standing there with his arm slung over another girl's shoulder; Mikoto noticed that the woman was Shisui's childhood neighbor and friend, Mei's little sister Eiko. As the nurse started to turn away, Sasuke let out a startled cry, the nurse quickly returned only to find that Itachi's heart rate was slowing rapidly and Sasuke was panicky calling to Itachi.

"Get a team in here STAT!" the woman called over her shoulder to another nurse, she quickly rushed to Itachi's side as Fugaku pulled Sasuke away from Itachi; the little boy irrupted into sobs as Fugaku held him tightly. A team quickly rushed in to Itachi's room, the boy's family was quickly pushed off to the corner of the room and forgotten.

"He called for them," Sasuke sobbed into his father's arms, "He called for them…" Even Hana was starting to get a little restless with the sudden noise around her; she was beginning to whimper in Mikoto's arms.

"Who Sasuke?" Fugaku asked his son quickly, "Who did Itachi call for?" Sasuke hick-up before he replied

"H-Hana a-and Ai-Aiko…" Sasuke chocked out, Fugaku sighed and held Sasuke tightly as he and Mikoto were forced into the corner further as more doctors came to take Itachi away, at that even Shisui cried out to Itachi, calling him a selfish bastard and everything. "A-and S-s-Sa-akkur-ra…" Sasuke cried into Fugaku's shoulder, Fugaku gritted his teeth and held Sasuke as tightly as he dared as Mikoto buried her face into her husband's neck, trying desperately not to cry. It wasn't long before they heard Sakura's voice break through their little world.

"Itachi-sama!" Sakura cried when she saw him coming down the hall quickly, "Itachi-sama!" she called out again as the doctors neared her, some told her to step aside but she pushed them out her way and punched Itachi in the stomach. "ITACHI!"

Vaguely Sakura heard Shisui cry out to Itachi again and then curse at her, but at the moment all she focused on was Itachi's sharp gasp of air. She picked up Aiko who was standing a little farther away and walked to Mikoto and Fugaku who were standing in the hallway a little amazed, Shisui did nothing but glare begrudgingly at her.

"I'm glad you are well Fugaku-sama," Sakura said with a smile, the couple only starred at her, then at Itachi as he was wheeled back towards them. "Itachi-sama should be doing well now."

"Miss Haruno," snapped out a doctor as they neared, the busty woman placed her hands on her hips and glared at the young girl before her. "Please reframe from hitting any more of my patients like that again." Sakura blinked slowly at the nurse, she smiled and bowed to the woman respectfully before she returned her attention back to the Uchiha couple before her; her smile still in place. "And uh… and… thank you…" the doctor turned and quickly left, Sakura's smile almost split her face in half. "And don't do it AGAIN!" snapped out the doctor as she hurried away to another patient, Sakura let a chuckle escape her as she set Aiko back on the ground.

"You made it," Mikoto whispered, Sakura smiled again nodding her head, quickly she took Hana into her arms and let the toddler play with hair as she rocked the baby in her arms, she quickly knelt next to Aiko so the little girl could look at Hana too.

"You made it," Mikoto said again as she enveloped Sakura and Aiko into a tight embrace, her tears fell on to them as she let herself cry for the miracle of their lives being spared, she hugged and kissed Aiko repeatedly as she kissed Sakura's head and smiled happily at the girls in her arms. It wasn't long before Sasuke was holding Aiko and Sakura too and even if Fugaku didn't touch them, Sakura nodded her head at him and he returned it with a slight smile that he would never admit to.

It wasn't long before the group of Uchiha's and the two pink haired girls and one infant entered Itachi's room, said boy was sitting up in bed and smiled at them. He was happy that at least a part of his dream wasn't true, as soon as his close relatives surrounded him they were all talking rapid fire, Itachi turned to Sakura and nodded his thanks to her.

"Let's see what happens when you try to die a second time," Sakura mumbled smugly, even if she nodded her head in understanding "I won't be so nice next time, Itachi-sama." Itachi chuckled and Sakura smiled, Mikoto chuckled and Sasuke was busy looking around trying to figure out was so funny.

"THAT was nice?" Shisui asked Fugaku, his eyes a little wide, "I'd hate to see her mad!" Fugaku could only give a minuet nod at the boy next to him, words would not express his shock at seeing the tiny pink haired girl suddenly punch his son so hard his _bed_ bent under the force. "At least he's not dead," Shisui concluded positively.

Later everyone learned that Sakura escaped from her isolated room near the lab testing facility and was only half way shocked when Sakura out ran half the staff at the hospital until someone called in Anbu, then she just left the hospital all together; Aiko and Hana still in her arms.

Mikoto chuckled as she left the hospital; Sasuke held her right hand as she leaned gently against her husband, Shisui would be staying with them for a little while until his mother was released from the hospital as well. She was the one leading them back to their apartment building that they were assigned. When they got to the apartment, Mikoto only blinked at the slightly ajar door.

"Well it seems that Sakura, Aiko and Hana beat us here," Mikoto chuckled as Sasuke pushed the door open further. What they saw made Sasuke scream and everyone else freeze at the sight, as soon as she got her wits about her, Mikoto scooped down and picked up her son and held him tightly so that his eyes couldn't see what was before them. Fugaku and Shisui tried to stand before her and Sasuke protectively, but they were still greatly weak from the poison.

Before them was their wrecked apartment living room, the furniture was over turned and the table was busted and blood was everywhere; but what had the Uchiha's full attention were the four men holding two tiny pink haired girls. Sakura was pinned to the floor; her bowered scrubs were turn away from her chest and half turn at her waist, Aiko was held in the air by her throat, she was busy kicking and gasping to notice them; Hana was nowhere in sight.

"Run!" Sakura cried out, noticing them first, "Get out of here! You're not strong enough for them!" but two of the men were already facing them, one man's face twisted in sadistic pleasure as the other looked board out of his mind. "You can't handle them! RU—N!" but none of them could move, how could they abandon her? She saved their life and she expects them to just turn tail and run? Well Mikoto and Sasuke could, but Fugaku and Shisui sure as hell wouldn't.

"Wouldn't you know it brother," one of the men said smugly "We've got another cutie, she's a little old for our tastes, but she'll be fun." If Mikoto and Sasuke ran and the two men chose to chase, then Fugaku and Shisui wouldn't be able to hold them back long enough for them to get help; Fugaku gritted his teeth and glared hatefully at the two men before him.

"Her boys are useless too," the other said calmly as if board, both men had brown hair and eyes, they were thin and gangly, but clearly strong. "It'll be easy to knock them aside…"

"Yeah, let's make them watch too, yeah… good idea…" the former brother chuckled as he neared, his oddly shaped weapons scrapping against the floor. Sakura bit at her lip and tried to think of something to do, the one only thing she could think of was unfortunately going to cause a lot of pain and troubles that she really didn't need to go through right now; but if she didn't do something then Mikoto, Sasuke, Shisui and Fugaku were all going to die, but it would be torturous for Mikoto; Sakura gritted her teeth her decision was made…

"So you're just going to leave me here? But I was having so much fun," Sakura pouted, she couldn't quite get the hate and anger out of her eyes, but she could try. The Uchiha's twitched at her tone, they knew she wasn't serious, but it was still horrifying to hear. "You can let the girl and the _Uchiha's_ go; they won't stand up to you for long." One of the brothers turned and chuckled at her.

"What makes you think you can out last the girl and mother?" he asked glancing at her over his shoulder.

"Because that's the handicap to having a screwed up Bloodline; it's not useful in a fight." Sakura smiled at him, instantly the two brothers were facing her on guard, Sakura just chuckled at them. "Didn't you hear me? I said it's not useful in a fight, meaning my bloodline can't do you any harm."

"And what kind of bloodline is that?" one of the brother's asked, his eyes on the four still in the door way. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Well duh, but your Iwa missing Nin," Sakura said calmly, she saw the Shisui and Fugaku twitch at her hint. "I've doubt you've ever heard of the Chiringa clan in the land of demons." Sakura smiled almost cruelly up at the man pinning her to the ground, "You see every now and again a female child is forced to awaken the bloodline. By doing this she archives immortality, the drawback is that her chakra is never fully developed and she can never age." The man starred at her almost interested in her story, but then he smiled at Sakura, a hint of insanity peaking through.

"And what's the point of your little story?" the man above her asked snippily, "Are you that immortal girl?" Sakura smiled smugly up at him, the man starred wide eyed at her.

"You can't be serious," the man holding Aiko whispered as he glanced back at Sakura.

"That's right," Sakura sing song to them calmly, "I'm a nineteen year old woman in a ten year old girl's body." There was no way she was laying, the smugness in her facial expression and the way her eyes glimmered strangely, as if she knew something they didn't… even if they didn't believe the girl, immortality couldn't be real… right?

"Then let's test it out shall we?" the man holding Aiko said, he dropped Aiko and she landed with a sickening thump, he drew his sword and moved to remove her heart. "Let's see if you're truly immortal!" the two brothers were focused on Sakura and the swords man

Shisui moved forward, he knew he'd never make in time to save Sakura, but he could at least save Aiko; right? The man on top of Sakura moved away, giving her plenty of time to move away if she wanted to, but she only smiled smugly up at them; like she knew a secret that'd never know.

Everything happened so slowly, Mikoto was horrified at the scene before her, how could anyone do that to a child? Fugaku was yelling at her, but she couldn't hear, Sasuke was crying, but she couldn't turn away. She was so horrified that she couldn't move, Mikoto knew she had to save her son from this sight, but she couldn't move, she couldn't turn her eyes away.

The man's sword swung down to Sakura's chest, a smile twisted his scared face, one of the brothers were chuckling, still the man's sword inched closer and closer; why couldn't she move?! Aiko awoke with wide eyes at the man so close to killing her sister, her mouth agape in a terror filled scream; Shisui was only a few feet away from her, the man's sword inched closer to Sakura's chest.

Mikoto screamed for Sakura and then as the man's sword was a hair's breath away from Sakura's chest, a blast of heat and light struck outwards; as if the man had broken a seal of powerful chakra releasing it to wreck havoc on the world. Fugaku was wrapping his arms around her and Sasuke in seconds, Shisui was thrown to the ground and the men; they were standing there as if they were frozen. Once the huge explosion of chakra calmed, Mikoto was shivering in her husband's arms, Sasuke not so different from her; his Sharingan had activated at some point and he was starring transfixed on Sakura's body or more accurately on the place where Sakura's body _was_…

Suddenly the man's sword was broken in half, half of it was attached to the hilt in his hands; the other half was logged into his forehead. Sakura was standing beside him, her hand resting gently in the air just behind his head, Mikoto shivered when she saw the younger girl smiling like she enjoyed killing. A deep dark chuckle escaped her throat, Mikoto thought her heart was going to freeze, such a cold dark chuckle shouldn't be emitted from a child like that; especially not someone like Sakura.

"_It's always good to have a sacrifice ready,"_ Sakura's voice was contorted, deep and cold, and when Sakura locked eyes on the brother's they were somehow unfrozen. They cursed and jumped away from her, trying to gain distance for their weapons, but she was faster. As their weapons were only inches away from her, she disappeared; landing the men cursed and turned their heads every which way in search of the suddenly powerful girl.

"_Ready or not,"_ Sakura whispered behind the older brother, cursing he turned to counter attach her; but found he couldn't move. He could hear his brother call out to him, but he couldn't move, he could only cough up blood in confusion, he looked down only to see Sakura's clawed hand sticking through his chest, her hands covered in his blood, he watched his dark blood dripped lazily to the floor.

"_Here I come"_ and suddenly he felt Sakura rip her hand back out of the whole in his chest, he actually felt the moment when his heart stopped beating. As he fell he could hear his brother cry out to him, he could also hear that haunting laughter of the girl they had pinned only moments before and see her as he turned to land on his side. She was holding a piece of his heart in her hand, he never knew that someone so young could actually be so cold, she was laughing at him; his blood splattered across her face. He heard his brother scream as she repeated the processes again and as the light died away, he wondered if he'd just said no to his brother all those years ago if things could be different with her…

…

…

_He was standing on the river bank, she was so tiny in her little white dress; she was shaking like a leaf in the coldest wind. He could hear her sobbing; he could see the bourses covering her body from the beating of those other kids, he crouched down on the sidewalk were he stood._

"_Hay girl," He called, he couldn't help but be curious, that's all he was, just curious. The girl snapped around terrified, her wide green eyes over flowing with crystalline tears, her shoulder length pink hair flew around her head like a curtain. He quickly came to the conclusion that the reason why the older girls were bullying her was that they could tell that when she was older, she was going to be a heart breaker._

"_What's your name girl?"_


	3. Chapter 3: Cursing time travel

_Italics= _thoughts

"_Hay girl," He called, he couldn't help but be curious, that's all he was, just curious. The girl snapped around terrified, her wide green eyes over flowing with crystalline tears, her shoulder length pink hair flew around her head like a curtain. He quickly came to the conclusion that the reason why the older girls were bullying her was that they could tell that when she was older, she was going to be a heart breaker._

"_What's your name girl?" he asked, he wasn't like his brother, who couldn't wait for little beauties to grow up that was the difference between them, Konci like's kids; he didn't. "I can't just give anyone my special medicine yeah know." he added with a smile, he knew that if he wanted too he could have gotten his brother a lot more kids, but he didn't like the memories he had now. He wasn't about to let this girl become another haunted face in his mind, he had enough names carved into the stone of regret; he didn't want to add her's as well._

"_It's Sakura," she mumbled sniffing, "Haruno Sakura, who are you?"_

"_Hmm? Oh my name is No— Stranger," he decided he didn't want to tell the girl just in case she told her parents and if they were shinobi then they'd flip and he and his brother would be royally screwed. "Do you want this medicine or not?" he held out the store bought cream for cuts and broses, it was supposed to be a real quick healer; the best in the bunch and expensive. _

_Hesitantly the little girl picked it out of his hands gently, she read the directions and then the ingredients, he couldn't help but chuckle at that, it's not like she could read; she could barely run! Once she was satisfied with whatever it was that she was looking for, she unscrewed the cap and put some on her hands and arms quickly. She screwed the lid back on and went to hand it back to him but he held up his hand quickly._

"_You can keep that, you'll need it for a while," He chuckled. "The sun's going down, you'd better get home quickly or the big bad monsters are going to get you." He stood and offered his hand to the little girl, "I can only take you as far as that bridge; you must hurry on your own from there okay?" Sakura stood up shakily and quickly took his hand as she almost fell again, he chuckled and walked her to the bridge quickly, once he got there he let go of her hand._

"_You better hurry, the monsters like to come out at night." He chuckled at the expression on her face, he couldn't help it, and she was cute; but too young for him. She turned to hurry away but after a few steps she stopped and looked back at him, he looked back at her when he realized her steps stopped. "Hmm? What's up? Why'd you stop? You want the monster to get you?"_

"_Are," Sakura paused briefly "are there really monsters at night?" he had to laugh at her._

"_When you grow a little more, you'll understand that there are all kinds of monsters, and the very real ones come out at night when little girls don't get to bed before dark."_

"_Then what about you? Couldn't the monsters get you too?" she asked, well it was only a matter of time before one of the kids he saved from his brother would shoot the logic back at him. He chuckled and gave Sakura the best smile he could come up with._

"_The monsters won't hurt me, because my brother is one of the worst kinds of monsters out there." Sakura starred at him, clearly she was deciding if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Hurry along Sakura-chan, you wouldn't want the monsters to get you."_

"_What kind of monster is he?" Sakura asked curiously, her head tilted to the side._

"_The kind that takes away the innocence of little girls who don't stay in their safe homes at night." He replied seriously and made a shooing motion, "Quickly or he'll catch you too." he really didn't want her here anymore, Sakura nodded her head and ran away too her home._

_It wasn't long before he felt his brother rushing towards him, it wasn't long after that he heard the sounds of fighting; his brother just couldn't stay hidden could he? He took a deep breath and let it out in a low depressed sigh, why did he have to make a promise to protect a monster? That was the only thing that kept him from killing his own brother, really he should just leave him here in this village, but that'd break his promise and his mother would start haunting him again._

"_I hate my life…" he mumbled as something huge and dark launched itself out of the forest and skidded to a stop next to him, he wasn't concerned; only his brother fought like a monster. So he wasn't surprised that when the dust cleared his brother was crouching next to him like a wild beast, he let out another sigh, he really did hate his life sometimes; and right not was one of those times…_

"_Nobuko, what are you waiting for?" Konci growled out, "Why didn't you help me? I got scratched because you didn't move from your spot." Instantly they were surrounded by the Konoha Anbu, Konci noticed with sadistic glee that the annoying white haired boy had received a decent sized hit in his shoulder._

"_Relax Konci," He replied scratching the back of his head absent mindedly, if he killed his brother now and then killed himself quickly after words, would his mother forgive him? "It's not like you were poisoned, you'll live yet." His brother let out a delighted chuckle; it only served to show just how dark his mind truly was. "Besides, since you went and screwed up again, now we have to leave early."_

"_Oh? So you didn't get everything for the trade?" Konci asked as he readied himself for a spring attach, Nobuko really didn't like it when Konci decided to go on a killing tangent when he didn't get a kid in time; he sighed in answer to his brother. Just in time to doge a kunai aimed for his right shoulder, it was time to play tag-you-die again and the game was really starting to get on his nerves._

"_Come on brother!" Konci called, he noticed that Nobuko was only dodging and not doing anything else, "enjoy the game!" with that he severed another Anbu's throat; he heard Nobuko sigh again before he knocked out the annoying woman playing tag with him. "That's better! But wait for your first Kill! It's exhilarating!"_

"_Stranger!" a familiar voice cried out, Nobuko turned just in time to dodge a near fatal attach from behind, Nobuko quickly retreated to the top of the bridge post and turned towards the voice that called to him. He was nearly frozen in place when he saw Sakura running back towards him, something big and heavy in her arms as she rushed towards him. "Stranger!"_

"_Oh?" Nobuko heard Konci purr, Nobuko turned towards his brother, please tell him Konci didn't see her! "How about one for the road, ne?" Nobuko suppressed a shiver from crawling up his spine; quickly he heard something sounding like a thousand birds coming from behind him. Nobuko moved just in time to catch the white haired boy by the wrist, pulling him close so that the light of his strange attach covered his face and that only the young man could hear him. _

"_Save the girl you idiot!" Nobuko whispered harshly as he spun and through the boy towards Sakura. Sakura screamed and ducked behind a nearby stand, trying to hide from the coming violence. Nobuko turned just in time to see Konci fly past him, his laughter echoing in his ears._

"_Time for some take out dinner!" Nobuko turned and fallowed after his brother, that stupid boy wasn't getting up fast enough to protect her; he'd have to do it himself!_

"_Sakura!" he cried out helplessly_

_Sakura looked up just in time to see a man rushing towards her and in the split second that her eyes connected with his, she saw a demon rushing towards her; she let out a terrified scream and tried to hide behind her gift to the stranger who helped her moments before. She looked away and screamed again, just as the demon was about to grab her she felt the wind rush around her and heard a startled shout as someone was thrown away from her. When Sakura opened her eyes again, she saw the demon man several feet away from her, almost on top of the bridge and the man standing before her was the stranger who gave her the medicine before._

"_Stranger," she whispered her grip on the present tightening then loosening. "Um! Stranger!" but he wasn't looking back at her, his fists were clenched tightly and Sakura was a little bit afraid of him, she was glad she couldn't see his face._

"_Nobuko!" Konci growled out "She's perfect! Why'd you stop me?"_

"_I told you to run home," Nobuko growled lowly to Sakura, she flinched at his tone. "Do you want to get tinted so soon? You're too little to meet brother, return home now!" Sakura flinched and tears gathered in her eyes again._

"_But I wanted to give this to you!" Sakura cried out, "Father said that I could give this to a person who needs it to protect himself from certain monsters! I don't want you to be alone in the dark with only your brother to protect you!"_

"_I can protect myself," Nobuko said lowly, Konci was getting to his feet; the white haired boy was trying to decide who was the bigger threat. "If you're not a shinobi, then don't get in a Shinobi's way." Nobuko whispered to Sakura, "You are too little and young to understand our world." _

"_You can't stake a claim on her Konci," Nobuko said loudly, Konci growled lowly and narrowed his eyes at his elder brother._

"_Watch me," Konci snapped back, and then he was charging, the white haired Anbu tried to stop him, but Konci just dodge him and headed striate for Sakura, who cowered behind Nobuko. In a swirl of dust and furious growls, Nobuko picked up Sakura and dodge his younger brother quickly. "NOBUKO!" Konci howled when he caught sight of his brother again._

"_I'm not strong like you Konci, I know I'm not strong enough to take you on and live." Nobuko said gently to his brother, he gritted his teeth and adjusted his hold on Sakura, she was clutched to his chest desperately, tears in her eyes._

"_But this is a fight you will not win," Nobuko growled to his brother, setting himself in a defensive stance with Sakura held to his chest tightly with one arm, the other holding the Katana that she was going to give to him. "I've already stacked my clam on her, you cannot have her." Konci starred at Nobuko in disbelieve, Nobuko had never touched a 'budding flower' in his entire life, he eyed the frightened little girl in his arms; maybe he finally found his type? Konci smiled cruelly at his brother, laughter bubbled up his chest and troubled out his mouth, He dodge another attach from the white haired Anbu boy; smiling gleefully._

"_Of course brother!" Konci called as he dodged more Anbu, "It's about time you found your type!" Konci laughed as one of the Anbu attempted to slash at him, "I was protective of my first too…" Nobuko shivered at the memory, he watched as the white haired Anbu member dodge a kick like it had connected and forced himself to roll to a stop before him. Nobuko wasn't stupid, the leaf Nin was giving him a chance to return Sakura and keep her safe. He set Sakura on the ground quickly by the white haired Nin and quickly returned her gift._

"_Thank you for your present but I'm not worthy of it, you learn to use it and protect those you love okay?" Nobuko whispered to Sakura before he grabbed the Anbu boy by the back his shirt. "Now do your damn job and get her the hell out of here!" the boy took Sakura into his arms and quickly jumped onto the roof tops, catching where the boy headed Nobuko made a mental note to head in the opposite direction._

"_Konci! That's enough! Play times over!" Nobuko heard his brother's shout of this dismay as he quickly jumped away without helping Konci get out of the tangle of Anbu._

"_Way to help your brother!" Konci cried seconds later as they quickly sped out of the village, "You left me with all that work!" Nobuko didn't answer him that night, in fact he didn't talk to his brother for days after that…_

…

…

Sakura was cackling like a maniac between the two bloodied bodies of the brothers, the last man was cowering in the corner trying desperately not to catch her attention.

"_This is fun!" _Sakura roars with laughter, Mikoto flinched as she caught a glimpse of Sakura's eyes, they weren't her peaceful green; they were the frantic, insane yellow eyes of a monster.

"_I should get out more often!"_ no one seemed able to move, she was just laughing like a monster, no one could understand were this was coming from; where such a monster could suddenly appear.

"Nee-sama," called a soft, solemn voice, Sakura's laughter died almost immanently at the sound of the voice; Mikoto flinched and realized that the voice belonged to Aiko. She wanted to so desperately take the little girl and run away, but she couldn't move at all. "Have you forgotten who you are?" Aiko whispered sadly, her eyes mere slits as she gave an empty smile at the Sakura before her.

"_I've forgotten nothing!"_ snapped Sakura as she crotched in the blood of the two brothers, _"I remember you! You stopped me last time!"_ Aiko nodded her head suddenly, her eyes still those tiny slits and that empty smile stretched so creepily thin on her face.

"Chiharu-san," Aiko said softly, "I remember you too, but like last time you don't have a chance. Not against me and not against the Konoha ninjas." Sakura froze instantly, she no longer swayed as if drunk; she just froze, her face paling considerably.

"_You didn't,"_ she whispered, as if horrified at the thought of Konoha shinobi _"You didn't take me there!" _the smile on Aiko's face widened and she actually looked like she was happy.

"Of course I didn't take you there," Sakura relaxed hesitantly, as if unsure to trust her little sister. "Nee-sama brought you… here." Aiko opened her eyes triumphantly and spread her arms out around her as if to jester to everything around her. "You are in Konohagakure," Sakura gave a terrible shriek of displeasure and lunge herself at Aiko, but she only collapsed before the little eight year old gasping for breath.

"_M-mon-nster…"_ Sakura whispered in pain to Aiko, the little girl only gave her a tight thin smile and nodded.

"Compared to you Chiharu-san, I'm an angle." Sakura growled furiously at her.

"_NO!"_ Sakura cried, clutching at her head as if in pain, _"I will not be sealed! N-not a second time!"_

"C-chiharu!" Shisui gasped suddenly, just loud enough for Sakura to turn and glare hatefully at him, he slammed his hand against a cumbered door. "Look at this!" Sakura glanced, her yellow eyes widened and she let out another terrifying shriek. It wasn't long before Chakra swirled around her once more and as the last pain filled gasps echoed in everyone's ears, they saw Sakura's crimson diamond return to her wide forehead; Aiko let out a gasp and collapsed to her knees.

"Finally," Aiko whispered "Finally it's over," Aiko glanced at Sakura, "at least for now…" Aiko took a couple of deep calming breaths and leaned her head around the corner to look at the door of the apartment.

"You can come in now, Fugaku-sama, Mikoto-sama," Aiko turned to Shisui, who was busy trying to believe what just happened, she gave a smile and said cheerfully.

"Nice job Shisui-sama!" after a moment she added playfully, "You're my hero!" Shisui chuckled at her, which was exactly the response she wanted from him. She crawled over to his side and tried to help him to stand, which was harder then she thought. "Nee-sama won't wake for a few hours, which gives us enough time to clean up the blood and get rid of the bodies or to shower and get a new room, you choose."

"You're really calm about all this," Shisui whispered to Aiko as he leaned against the kitchen wall. "It's like you've done this all before," Shisui watched as Aiko trembled on her tiny knees; she refused to look at him, as if ashamed. "Aiko, have you dealt with Sakura like that before?"

"That wasn't Nee-sama!" Aiko snapped out, tears fighting to fall from her eyes, "that was Chiharu! Chiharu is a monster! Nee-sama is only her container! She doesn't have a choice!" Aiko hiccupped and a few tears fell, "She never has a choice…" Aiko collapsed to her knees and started crying, she couldn't hold it back, Fugaku and Mikoto were still grasping each other desperately as if that was the only way to protect Sasuke. Shisui slowly sat back down on the floor and gently pulled Aiko into his lap, he really didn't know what else he was to do; he needed more information before he made his next step. At least he knew he was going back to the hospital and he was most likely going to end up there a much longer time.

At least the Anbu teams hadn't gone to fare from the apartments, it wasn't long after the first wave of chakra explosion had gotten their attention; they were busy trying wind up their numbers quickly before they took on anything that had that much chakra. At least with the second release of chakra they were able to enter the apartment buildings and find the Uchiha's still gasping clutching each other in their door way, they were able to take Fugaku, Mikoto and Sasuke quickly to the hospital for shock, they took Sakura to the recovery word for depleted chakra patients and were able to get Shisui in with a doctor about his broken leg surprisingly fast; Aiko hadn't bothered to leave his side the entire time, she knew he had questions.

A few hours later the Hokage approached the near overwhelmed Uchiha's in the recovery wing, Mikoto and Sasuke were still clinging together even in their sleep and Fugaku wasn't too far away from them.

"Would any of you care to explain to me what just happened?" Sarutobi asked, turning to Shisui and Aiko who appeared to be better off than the other three.

"Sakura-chan freaked and killed three men," Shisui answered half heartedly seriously, Sarutobi frowned at Shisui and shook his head.

"No, I felt the seal break," Sarutobi replied, "What happened in the apartment?" Aiko let out a sigh and punched Shisui playfully.

"Four men were laying wait inside the apartment, apparently hiding from someone, once they saw sister and me they thought they could spare the time for some 'fun'" Aiko made figure quotations around the word and made a face in disgust. "Once they saw Mikoto they thought she'd be 'fun' and wanted to 'play' with her too." here Aiko shuddered.

"At which point Nee-chan didn't know what to do and figured if she could at least trick them then they'd take her away somewhere else and she'd be the only one harmed. Pulse I think she had it in her mind to scream her head off once one of your many ninjas came in close enough proximity to help her; But it didn't happen that way, they wanted to test out her lie before they could take her away." Aiko yawned next to Shisui.

"After that Chiharu took over again and made a big ruckus, she was actually able to steel enough chakra from the man holding her that she was able to temporarily break the seal you placed on Nee-chan. From there you know the rest." Sarutobi nodded his head and sighed; Aiko let out a breath and leaned against Shisui; already on her way to falling asleep.

"Wait you knew that she had that monster inside of her?" Fugaku snapped out suddenly, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because, _originally_, she was to be living with only her sisters, not you and your family." Sarutobi answered Fugaku calmly, "She was _supposed_ to be in her apartment shared with Aiko and Hana, she was _supposed_ to be registered as a Kinochi of Konoha; she was _supposed_ to get a weekend job here at the hospital; at least that was the plan…" Sarutobi gave a heavy sigh.

"Then you offered to let her stay a night in your home and she felt the need to repay the debt. I was expecting her to move in to the apartment quickly after that first night, but then you made the subtle hint to let her stay in your home…" Sarutobi paused briefly to stare at Fugaku and his family.

"I take it you'll retract your earlier statement." It wasn't a question and Fugaku twitched with being read so easily, "I'll have someone collect her things from her room, when she wakes she'll be shown her new apartment." The Hokage turned to Aiko who was looking as if she might fall over any moment, "Aiko-chan," the little girl started at her name being called, "Am I understood?"

"Yes Hokage-sama," Aiko nodded her head and jumped down from the bed she shared with Shisui, "I'll go inform Sakura-Nee-sama." She bowed and started to leave, Shisui raised his hand as if to stop her, but his voice never left his throat and Aiko continued to walk away; unaware that Shisui was trying to stop her. Suddenly Aiko spun around and faced the people in the recovery room, her face was like a mask, her voice just as empty, but her eyes were over flowing with the need for them to understand.

"Please forgive Sakura-Nee-sama, Chiharu is manipulative and sneaky; she will do anything for freedom." Aiko bowed to them lowly, "I hope the next time we meat, you can find it in your heart to smile _before you turn away_." It was as if Aiko's voice belonged to someone else, because her voice was filled with warning and a hint of a dare, like she was daring them to either do as she said or not to do so. She turned and walked down the hall, her footsteps echoing in the Uchiha's ears.

"Father," Sasuke whispered, Fugaku was instantly crouched next to his wife and his now awake son.

"Yes Sasuke? What is it?" Fugaku asked,

"What did Aiko mean by that?" Fugaku starred at his son; clearly he only caught the tail end of the conversation. "Why did it sound like we'll never meat her and Sakura-chan and Hana-chan ever again?" it took Fugaku a moment to answer, his surprise temporally taking over; how was he supposed to answer this without his son asking more questions?

"Because we'll never see them again…" Fugaku answered, not looking at his son.

"Why? Didn't Sakura-chan and Aiko-chan protect us?" Sasuke asked innocently, eyeing his father in confusion.

"Yes and no Sasuke-kun," Sarutobi answered for Fugaku quickly, Sasuke looked over his mother's shoulders at his Hokage. "You see Sakura-chan did something she wasn't supposed to do; she killed two men, hospitalized another and made a fourth man go insane." Fugaku looked up at Sarutobi, he fought the questions running through his mind, finally deciding that his son didn't need to know some of the answers, Fugaku stood up.

"Hokage-sama, will you talk with me outside?" Fugaku asked as he stepped towards the door, Sarutobi nodded his head and waited just outside the door. Fugaku closed the door to the room and started down the hallway with the Hokage in toe. "You said that she only killed two men, but we all saw her kill three, did one of the men survive?" the Hokage nodded his head with a depressed sigh.

…

"Sakura-Nee-sama?" Aiko called when she entered the pristine white room, she saw the form in the bed just behind the curtain sit up; quietly Aiko shut the door. "So you're adding to the story again, how much more trouble are we in? This is almost getting annoying."

"Oh shut up," Snapped the girl in the bed, she glared at the tiny girl beside her. "Why don't you just expel and give me the memories that I need so I can make my next move?" Aiko looked up at her 'sister' and gave a deep sigh, she knew full well that she was a clone of said girl, she knew that Hana knew as well; that was the only reason she didn't act like a year old baby.

"Can't," Aiko answered as she sat in the chair next to Sakura, she even received a sharp look from the time traveler. "I already tried that, look," Aiko raised her left wrist, showing a long thin crimson line. "I tried to expel myself, but I only received a hell of a lot of blood, good thing I used my wrist and not my throat." Aiko chuckled darkly, "Some nurse is going to walk into the bathroom down the hall and have a heart attack!"

Sakura couldn't decide which problem needed her attention most, the fact that her clone couldn't disappear or the fact that any moment now there was going to be holy hell amongst the staff looking for the female who lost a lot of blood. Sakura let out a heavy sigh, was this the gift her mentor told her about? That her clones were going to be her 'sisters' after Twenty four hours of existence? Sakura paused at that thought, how long had they already been here in this world?

"Hold on, how long has it been since we first came here?" Sakura asked 'Aiko', the younger girl thought about it for a moment.

"Almost nine days," Aiko answered, "I wonder how long it took for us to actually no longer _be_ your clones…" Sakura nodded her head, she felt as if she was missing something, they had purposely crashed near Itachi, his mother and cousin all those days ago, but they hadn't expected that bomb. There was nothing in her memory about a bomb, or those four men waiting for them in the apartment… she didn't even hear about the poison outbreak in the Uchiha compound, still she was missing something! What could she be missing?

"We're missing something," Sakura whispered, "What are we missing?" Sakura racked her fingers through her hair, "I know we're missing something, but what is it?"

"This didn't happen," Aiko said calmly, watching her older self give herself a head ach, Sakura's eyes snapped towards her in an almost glare. "None of this happened in our timeline, nothing is the same anymore, it happened sooner than we thought, but we no longer know when everything is going to happen in the future."

"Yes I know that!" Sakura snapped, "I already thought about that, but I'm reminded of something else, something doesn't concern the mission directly."

"Oh," Aiko blinked up at Sakura, "did you think about what happened in the apartment? Because that was a little much, why did she freak out on the sight of the Leaf symbol?"

"Because I told her too," Sakura answered waving a dismissive hand towards Aiko, "besides she already regrets that, she knew she over did it out there. It's not like she and I are two separate people, she's just the more boisterous, overly confident version of me, that's all. Nothing new, nothing old; just the same inner thoughts of encouragement that never get past one's own mind." Sakura let out a heavy sigh, and leaned back against her pillows "Why the hell was I chosen for this mission? And why was I sent so far back?"

"What day were we sent back?" Aiko asked suddenly, Sakura froze and eyed the tiny eight year version of herself.

"I could kiss you," Sakura whispered to Aiko, a smile breaking out on her face. "We were sent to the day that everything changed for the worse!" Aiko raised an eye brow at Sakura, rolling her emerald eyes, Sakura explained. "We must have been sent on the day of the massacre!"

"Didn't Shisui die a few days _before_ the massacre?" Aiko dead paned, Sakura starred at her, her mind going a mile a minute through her memories; suddenly her head crashed down onto her knees, a loud and almost pain filled grown sounded through the air.

"But then what happened nine days ago that was so life changing that our mere presence completely disrupted it?" Sakura groan out to Aiko as if she had all the answers.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? My memories are the same as yours!" Aiko snapped back, "I only know as much as you, after all I—"

_Knock, knock_

Sakura and Aiko froze, their faces paling and their eyes widening in horror, slowly the door opened.

_How much did this person hear?_ Both girls thought together as they turned towards the person who entered the room, their breaths held with each step taken towards them. A lock of black hair peeked around the edge of the curtain; a thin pale, masculine hand gripped the edge of the curtain.

"Haruno-san?" the man asked as he stepped out from behind the curtain, Sakura and Aiko starred at the doctor before them "Ah! Hello there little one," the man smiled down at Aiko, who only lifted an eyebrow up at him in question.

"I don't suppose you could go to Mikoto Uchiha-sama could you? I need to talk to your sister for a moment." Aiko looked up at Sakura, her eyes wide and innocent, as if she couldn't wait to go back to Mikoto; Sakura heaved a sigh as if she had a headache.

"Imoto please go to the nurses and ask them to take you to Mikoto-sama," Sakura sighed out; Aiko gave a disappointed sigh and jumped down from her chair. "Make sure you come back with Hana this time!" Sakura called out to Aiko as she left the room, Sakura heaved another agitated sigh as Aiko giggled and trotted down the hall. The middle aged doctor closed the door and moved the curtain back so that Sakura could see the rest of the empty room; swallowing almost shyly, the doctor pulled the chair that Aiko was in slightly farther away from Sakura. Awkwardly, the doctor sat in the chair, Sakura watched him curiously; what did he want? Why was he looking so nervous?

"I really should have a female doctor talking to you about this but…" Sakura eyed him almost wirily, what the hell was he talking about and did she want to know? "Could you tell me your relation to Hana Haruno?" the way he asked, it was like he already knew what she was going to say to him.

"She's my niece…" Sakura answered hesitantly, she knew that for safety masers, the doctors had taken Hana into an examination room just too double check her for any injuries, so what was he getting at? Was something wrong with the infant version of herself, Hana?

"Did something happen to her?" Sakura asked nervously, just like any frightened young Aunt would, the doctor smiled nervously at her.

"No, no she's perfectly healthy," he reassured her quickly, almost apologetically, "I was just wondering if you could explain to me why you share half of the same genes as Hana." Sakura starred at him, startled at this new and confusing information.

"Half?" Sakura asked hesitantly, not quite liking where this was going. If what Aiko had informed her earlier about, then that would mean that Aiko and her would share at least 70% of the same genetics, and Hana and her would share at least 25% or less of the same genetic material; But this man was saying that Hana and Sakura shared about 50% of the same genetic material.

"Yes, as you would have learned in school, each parent would give half of their genetic code to their child." The doctor said, as if he were giving her a lecture, "By doing certain tests, one can determine if someone is a parent of a certain child or not." The doctor paused as he starred into Sakura's eyes seriously.

"One can even determine if someone is an Aunt to an infant or if she's that child's mother…" the doctor was looking at Sakura as if searching for something, but she stopped looking at him a long time ago. Now she was shaking in her seat and glaring heatedly at her hands as they gripped furiously at the white blanket across her lap. "Sakura Haruno, are you Hana Haruno's mother?"

…

Itachi was finally released from the hospital's care; he heard that Sakura, Aiko and his family were reemitted into the hospital. He decided that he was going to visit them; Sakura seemed to be the closest to him so he headed towards her room. He arrived just in time to see Aiko giggle and skip down the hallway to disappear around the corner, curious Itachi walked towards the door to enter the room; only to have the door close when he was merrily a few steps away. Hearing voices inside the room, Itachi decided to lean against the wall next to the door, he wasn't intending to listen in on the conversation; but the way the doctor was talking about Hana and Sakura was a little confusing. So Itachi opened the door gently, placing his ear close to the gap, Itachi heard the question that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Sakura Haruno, are you Hana Haruno's mother?" Itachi leaned against the wall, just as pale as the white painted wall he leaned heavily against, wasn't Hana Sakura's Niece? "You know that I did see the test results myself Ms Haruno," the way the doctor said it was as if he was trying to corner Sakura into admitting something secret about her relationship to Hana, but Sakura couldn't be Hana's mother… could she?

"Doctor Hashirana," Sakura's soft voice echoed in Itachi's ears as he listened intently for her answer "I suggest that you never speak of this matter ever again." Sakura's voice was cold; it was so drastically different from the vice Itachi was used to, that for a moment he believed that it wasn't Sakura who had spoken. The doctor stuttered and almost gasped at Sakura, "You are to destroy any and all evidence of these tests and forget that any of this has ever happened; am I understood?" Sakura's voice left no room for argument; Itachi could imagine the doctor nodding his head hurriedly, with a face as white as a sheet. Itachi heard the man quickly stand and rush towards the door.

"I'll get right on that Haruno-san," the doctor's voice was breathless and dazed, as if he only wanted to leave the room and he'd agree to do anything so long as he could leave. Itachi quickly took a few steps away from the door and when it opened to a flustered, sickly looking doctor; Itachi took a step forward and paused. The doctor looked up at him quickly, startled at his sudden appearance; Itachi raised an eye brow at him in a silent question. But the middle aged man stuttered at him, quickly bowed apologetically and hurried down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Hello?" called Sakura's voice from within the room, Itachi froze in his placement, he waited for the doctor to turn the corner before he moved forward and closed Sakura's door. "Who's there?"

Completely ignoring Sakura's muffled voice calling out to him, Itachi hurried to the end of the hall and swiftly ducked behind the corner just in time to hear Sakura open her door and he just barely caught the sight of the doctor's coat turn at the end of the hall. He heard Sakura huff and take a few steps out of her room; he decided that he'd better hurry towards the doctor as fast as he could in his weekend state.

He turned down the hall and quickly fallowed the hall towards the doctor he had seen, he watched as he quickly walked past the nurses' station and through a pair of doors that the nurses opened for him. Cursing his bad luck, Itachi watch as another doctor bid entrance into the staff only section of the hospital, as quickly as he could he followed suit after the man.

Walking quietly behind the doctor, he looked for the man he was fallowing previously; quickly spotting him coming out of another room with a young man fallowing after him; Itachi quickly hid and watched the doctors enter another room only to back out seconds later. Itachi watched as the doctors turned down a corner and he quickly followed suit, only to bump into a young nurse as she rounded the corner.

"Aw! Itachi-san!" the Nurse said pleasantly to him, Itachi stilled as she smiled up at him, "Is there something you need? I would have thought that you'd leave by now." Itachi nodded his head hesitantly, he watched as the doctor ducked into another room; if he didn't hurry that man would destroy those files and he'd never truly know the answer.

"Yes," Itachi answered, the nurse brightened and stepped aside for him to continue.

"I'm sure you still remember the way around here, you run away from us so often you've got to have this place memorized even better than the rest of us!" she said cheerfully, "according to the rules I'm not supposed to let you down this hall without an escort because these are all the personal offices, but I guess you already knew that and were simply fallowing your doctor…" Itachi knew she was giving him an excuse, quickly he nodded his head and she smiled again, her eyes narrowed at him knowingly. "Well it's good to see you back on your feet again Itachi-san, try not to get poison again okay?"

Itachi concluded that she must have been one of the nurses that were assigned to work on the poison victims of his family. Itachi nodded his thanks and continued down the hall and into the room that the doctor walked into, Itachi was able to enter the room just as the doctor was about to put the file into the shredder. Itachi moved forward and snatched the file out of the doctor's hand; the middle aged man jumped around and faced Itachi as if he thought that Itachi was going to kill him.

"Now Hashirana-san," Itachi said as he held the file away from the doctor "Isn't it illegal to destroy patient files?"

"No! I mean yes, it is" the man stammered out, waving his hands around in a none threatening manner, "but I'm not destroying her file! Just the test results!" Itachi starred at the doctor unblinkingly; there was something off about his eyes.

"Isn't that still illegal?" Itachi asked calmly, "expressly since you were about to place the whole file into the shredder…" Itachi watched as the doctor looked back and further between the file and the shredder.

"No, no," Hashirana mumbled out dazedly, "Just the test, only the tests…" Itachi finally realized what was off about the doctor's eyes; he was under some form of genjutsu. Quickly, Itachi dispelled it with a tap to the man's forehead and watched as the middle aged man quickly found a chair to sit in as he held his swimming head in his hands. "What was I about to do?" he mumbled out lowly, Itachi narrowed his eyes at the confused man before him.

"Are you going to destroy the tests now?" Itachi asked, Hashirana looked up at him sharply.

"Why would I destroy tests?" and then it seemed a light bulb went off in his head and he paled considerably. "I need that file Uchiha-san, please hand it over." Itachi narrowed his eyes at the doctor before he handed the file over, the doctor quickly took out the test papers and hurried over to the shredder; setting them aside to plug the shredder in again, Hashirana quickly shredded the tests without even double checking them. "Now all I have to do is forget everything I ever saw…" the man whispered as he ran a hand through his gray streaked hair. Itachi frowned at the man before him; he certainly wasn't acting like a professional doctor.

"Why did you listen to Sakura Haruno about the test results?" Itachi asked as he carefully phrased his question so the doctor wouldn't question the papers he hid within his hospital robe. Hashirana looked at Itachi startled before he chuckled and nodded his head.

"Of course you heard the conversation, how much did you hear?" Hashirana asked as he sat down at his desk chair once more, gesturing for Itachi to sit in one of the chairs opposite to him. Itachi thought about it a moment before he turned for the door, intending to leave, when he stilled at the entrance; the door slightly opened, he turned slightly back towards the doctor.

"I was just curious as to why she'd ask you to destroy the results and why you decided to comply with her request…" Itachi answered with narrowed eyes as he opened the door to reveal a nurse and the head doctor, both clearly heard Itachi and were glaring at Hashirana.

"If you're ready to leave Uchiha-san, you may," the head doctor addressed Itachi before he turned his furious black eyes back onto Hashirana, who only gripped his hands together tighter at the glare. "Miko will escort you back to your room to gather your things. I'm sure you must want to report to Lord Hokage about your improved health." Itachi nodded his head as he stepped aside for the older man to enter, once he closed the door Itachi watched as the nurse quickly hurried down the hall, she was nearly pulling him along and they were half way down the hall towards the excite when he heard the raised voices of the head doctor and Hashirana. He was curious as to what kind of excuse Hashirana was going to give, but he knew he needed to talk to his family immanently. Itachi thumbed the papers in his robe almost self consciously, Sakura hadn't told them the whole story…

…

…

"_I can't belief you didn't tell us!" Fugaku snapped at Sarutobi, the older man let out a deep heavy sigh._

"_There was no need to tell you because that spirit was soundly sealed and the only way to release her is if Sakura-san's own chakra couldn't hold her back anymore." At Fugaku's glare and his screwed up face as he was about to retort, Sarutobi raised his hand to silence him; to his amazement, Fugaku held his tong and waited for him to continue. "Think of Sakura-san as you would of Naruto Uzimaki, they aren't so different when you think of that spirit as a demon; which in all technicality, she is."_

"_Naruto Uzimaki? The Jinchuuriki boy?" Fugaku asked with a raised eye brow, "How do you figure that she's anything like __**him**__?"_

"_Because both children have a sealed monster in them, if the seal breaks or is loosened then the monster would be released and all hell breaks loses." Sarutobi sighed out, a puff of smoke curling around the gentle breeze that caught it out the window he was leaning against. "Sakura Haruno was low on both Chakra and stamina, her body and mind were greatly weakened from everything that has been happening to her since she arrived." The Hokage turned to Fugaku, who was deep in thought._

"_Even you were knocked off from your high horse from what little poison was in your system. Sakura-san had nearly ten times the amount you had, coupled with her exhausted of fighting off foreign bacteria and the healing after the explosion..." He paused before he continued, Fugaku watched him almost intently._

"_She hadn't even completely recovered from her travels here. One thing after another has happened to her that's why it's understandable why the seal broke and the monster was released, although it wasn't _completely_ released. Thank the gods." Sarutobi sighed lost in his own world; he'd apparently completely forget that Fugaku was still there. "That monster could take on the nine tails on his best day and still come out on top, I doubt she'd even have a scratch on her…"_

Remembering the conversation with the Hokage, Fugaku scowled at the nearby wall; his hand tightened on his wife's as she continued to sleep with Sasuke still curled around her midsection. That brat hadn't told them everything when they first met!

"_Run! Get out of here!"_ Sakura's voice rang in his head, she had tried to get them to leave, but in their weakened state the brother's chakra was enough to still them, it kept them from moving.

"_No!" she cried out almost in pain "I won't be sealed again!"_ was he still going to let some monster that close to his children? Fugaku gritted his teeth and turned to glare out the window of their recovery room; the sun was getting low, it was just getting started on the evening.

"_One thing after another keeps happening to her…"_ He could still her that haunting laughter spilling from that blood soaked Sakura that his wife had taken a liking to.

"_The monster is only released if her own chakra is too weak to hold her back, much like how the nine tails would come out if Naruto's seal breaks or if he's placed at death's door."_ Was he really going to compare Sakura and Naruto? Naruto was the harbor of a monster, and it was only his relationship with the boy's father that he doesn't keep throwing him into a cell every time someone complains to him about some prank the young boy had pulled off on one of his bullies. Sakura was a stranger who held no relationship or dept to his family, she was just a kid dropped here by her sister for her protection. Her existence held no real meaning to him and his family, he was sure that his wife wouldn't want to see Sakura again after that incident, after her seal broke the mass of chakra had nearly knocked him out; his wife was nearly four times more sensitive to chakra then he was. What did the chakra feel like to her? Was stiffening and over bearing like many high ranked ninja? Was it blood thirsty and angry like the Kiyobi? Was it filled with pain and fear like a dying child's chakra often is?

What was he going to do if she still wanted to keep Sakura at their house?

Fugaku sighed and scrapped his nails through his graying hair; Sasuke wanted Sakura, Aiko and Hana to continue living with them. Fugaku couldn't understand it, generally Sasuke would be too scared to let such frightening people near him and his family, hell Fugaku was scared of what Sakura could do. Suddenly he remembered his first born son, not Itachi, but his twin Shinta; Fugaku let out a heavy sigh.

Couldn't he do anything these days without being reminded of the little boy who shinned like the sun and was as free as the wind yet was wise as water and kind as the earth? Couldn't he go a single day without remembering that bloody smile from a dying little boy? Couldn't he live a day without feeling regret for the son he lost all those years ago?

"What would you say if you were here Shinta?" Fugaku asked the wind that blew in from the opened window, Fugaku had never before felt so old in his entire life. If Shinta was still alive, would his family be where it is today? Would they have pushed Itachi so far? Would they have met this dangerous power house named Sakura Haruno and her sisters?

"Father?" whispered a voice so soft Fugaku nearly jumped, he turned and looked up at the young man who called to him so softly. "Who's Shinta and what's the matter?" Itachi asked, his head tilted to the side as confusion was practically written in ink over his face. Itachi glanced at his little brother and mother, and then glanced back at the sleeping Shisui who had his broken leg prompt up on a few pillows. "What happened after you left? How'd Shisui break his leg and why is mother clutching to Sasuke like that?"

"We were attached at the apartment," Fugaku answered automatically, that got his attention, "two of the men are dead, one is mentally handy-caped and the third is in critical condition." Fugaku watched amazed as Itachi dejected the information quickly, "Sakura-san did everything." He whispered, he didn't think Itachi hear him, but even Fugaku was stunned to watch the emotions flicker in his son's eyes; amazement, confusion, envy (at what he wasn't sure), and least of all, the most prominent was the worry he flicked towards his mother and brother. Fugaku sighed as he leaned back in his chair and looked out the window, his mask back in place so that his son couldn't think about what he was feeling. Itachi loves his mother and brother more than he did about his own father, Fugaku gave a wiry smile to the dancing leaves outside the window; his own son truly hates him.

_Just like you predicted would happen, right Minato?_ Fugaku thought as the young man's face flashed in his mind's eye. _You were joking the day you said it, but you ended up right anyway; my son hates me, truly hates me._

Itachi flicked his eyes around the room, Shisui was still out even after twenty minutes after he entered, his mother was still trembling lightly and clutching a soundly sleeping Sasuke and his father was starring out the window lost in his own thoughts; his hand gripped tightly in his mother's white knuckled hand.

_What the hell happened to them?_ Itachi wondered from his seat on the other side of his mother and brother. _I've never seen mother this shaken before, even in the Kiyobi attach she was calm and collected._ Itachi thumbed the paper that was still inside his rob, would he ever be able to show it to his parents? Should he even tell his parents? It's her business; it has nothing to do with him… except that she's living with him so it has everything to do with him…

"Damn," an amused voice called out suddenly, Itachi turned to the person standing in the door way of their room, Fugaku and Shisui snapping away and turning their full attention to the newcomer. "You can cut the tension in this room with a butter knife." Itachi starred at the amused pink haired thirteen year old girl standing in the hall way with Hana cradled to her with one arm and Aiko holding onto her other arm.

"What are you doing here?" Fugaku asked Itachi narrowed his eyes at the middle distance between him, Shisui and the Haruno sisters; his father's voice was a too little empty for his tastes. Sakura chuckled as if she was amused at Fugaku's tone of voice; Aiko hid a little further behind Sakura as if embarrassed.

"Aiko told me of your wish Fugaku-san," Sakura answered, her eyes were hidden by her hair and Itachi couldn't tell anything by her tone of voice, it was completely empty, devoid of all life. "If Mikoto still wishes for me to work at your home she can tell lord Hokage, he can reach me at any given point of day or night. If I don't receive a message from lord Hokage about Mikoto-sama then I understand." Sakura bowed politely, she wrapped her other hand around Hana so that the baby wouldn't fall and Aiko nearly disappeared behind Sakura; tears falling from her eyes. "I pray our paths do not cross in the face of war but in peace," the sharp look she gave Fugaku had him narrowing his eyes at the younger girl; just what was she trying to say?

"Good-by Uchiha-san," Sakura lowered her eyes to the floor in her bow to Fugaku as she nodded to Shisui and Itachi, before Itachi could move or even say anything, she was gone. A few tears landed on the hard white floor of the doorway where she once stood, Itachi whirled on his father, his Sharingan fighting to come to life in his eyes.

"What did you do?" Itachi's voice was low and dangerous; Fugaku lifted an eyebrow at Itachi. Immanently Itachi closed his eyes and took several deep calming breaths. "What did you decide?" Itachi asked a little more calmly then before.

"She's not going to live with us anymore," Fugaku answered calmly, "She's too dangerous."

"How the hell is Sakura-san dangerous?" Itachi asked evenly, "Please explain to me why you just kick a mother out on the street after she just risked her life to save yours and your family's lives?" Fugaku raised a brown eyebrow at his son's words.

"What are you talking about Itachi? Sakura-san isn't a mother. She's an Aunt and elder sister…" Fugaku said he eyed Itachi as if he was going insane; there was no way that Sakura was a mother because they would have noticed… Fugaku eyed his sleeping wife momentarily, Mikoto would have noticed…. Right? Itachi slammed some folded papers on the bed next to his mother's feet; Fugaku eyed his angry son as he spun around and walked right out of the room.

"She was going to have that destroyed; I hope you rethink of your decision father." Itachi said as he closed the door with an angry thump. Fugaku starred at the door for a moment before he turned his gaze to Shisui, who was eyeing the papers with a curious expression. Fugaku picked the papers up and started to read them, they were test results of Hana and Sakura, their shard DNA was more then what should have been if they were Aunt and niece. They even had the same blood type. Fugaku starred at the papers without actually seeing them, why didn't she tell them that Hana was her daughter?

…

Itachi made his way back to his room quickly, once he opened the door he saw that someone was in his bed. Walking around the curtain that shielded his bed from nosey onlookers, Itachi starred at the three tiny forms in his bed. Sakura was lying on her back with Hana sleeping soundly on her chest and Aiko tucked under her right arm, the gray white medical blanket was half heartedly tossed across Sakura's lap.

_Why didn't you tell us?_ Itachi wondered as he watched the three pink haired girls sleep soundly, he smiled gently at them before he turned away from them and headed to the nearby closet; grabbing some clothes he walked into the nearby bathroom. When he came back out he found Aiko lying on the floor looking dazed and confused, Itachi chuckled and quickly picked her up. Setting Aiko on his hip he turned to the still sleeping Sakura, smirking as Aiko laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep once more, Itachi gently woke Sakura from her slumber.

"Sakura-san," he whispered gently, "Sakura-san it's time to wake up." Sakura huffed and turned slightly in her sleep, Hana still weighing her down heavily, "Sakura-san, wake up, it's time to go." Sleepy, blurry green orbs looked up at him tiredly; he chuckled as Sakura's face screwed up into a look of confusion before she sat up and yawned. "I was wondering if you'd ever wake up," Itachi chuckle softly, Sakura shot him a sleepy glare before she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"So what's your decision?" Sakura asked as she rubbed at her eyes, she held Hana tightly as she jumped to the ground, her crimson summer dress hitched at her waist and danced gracefully around her feet.

"What?" Itachi asked as he tilted his head to the side, he fallowed Sakura to the door where she placed her shoes back on and picked up two tiny ones that apparently belonged to Aiko.

"Your decision," Sakura answered as she walked out the door and headed down the hall. "I know you heard the doctor ask me that question, and I know you saw the test results." Sakura smiled and nodded to the nurses as she signed out and waited for Itachi to do the same, once they were out of ear shot once more and heading to the front of the hospital she continued. "So what's your decision? Are you going to tell the Hokage or your parents… or are you just going to pretend you didn't see or hear anything at all?"

Itachi paused just outside the doors of the hospital; Sakura turned and studied his face, just as he was studying hers. He knew she wouldn't see anything on his face, but he was curious as to why he didn't see anything on hers. He let out a sigh and shifted Aiko in his arms, he already told his father and Shisui, which was accidental, but he still didn't know how he was going to talk to her about it. Why didn't she tell them? Why did she lie to them?

"I think I'll just walk you home for now," Itachi replied calmly, Sakura's eyes widened and she nodded almost doubly at him. She turned around and took a few steps forward… towards a genin team. Itachi cocked his eyebrow at small team at the base of the stairs.

"Sakura Haruno I presume?" the Jonin instructor asked calmly, Sakura nodded her head calmly and eyed the group curiously. "We are to escort you to your new home and help you in anyway possible." The man smiled at Sakura gently, to which she smiled at him and turned to the children beside him. The one of the three boys starred up at her in amazement.

One was a white haired boy who had his head band covering one eye and looked to be about nine years older than Sakura and Itachi; one was a brown haired boy with a scar running across his nose, he was about five years older than them; and the third boy had wild brown hair and was wearing sunglasses, he was the youngest and appeared to be at least a year younger then both Sakura and Itachi. "This Iruka, Kenta Aburame, Kakashi Hatake and my name is Momotaru Akira, it's a pleasure to meat you." Sakura smiled and bowed politely to each boy in turn and then at their sensei who had deep brown hair and eyes and deeply tanned skin like Iruka.

"My name is Sakura Haruno," Sakura smiled as she placed a hand on her chest; gently she placed the hand onto Hana's back. "This is Hana Haruno, my niece," Sakura chuckled as the baby tried to snuggle closer to her neck; Itachi raised his eyebrow at her before he shifted his hold on Aiko again.

"This is Aiko Haruno, my little sister." Sakura said as she placed her hand on Aiko's head to move a few stray pink hair strands away from the little girl's sleeping face, and then she rested her hand on Itachi's arm next to the eight year olds head. Sakura turned to the team and smiled softly once more, "This is Itachi Uchiha, I'm sure you know of him." Itachi nodded his head calmly at the group of young men before him.

"Why does your team have two Jonin in it?" Itachi asked calmly, at which he received a nasty glare from Kakashi.

"Because the Hokage thought it'd be good practice for the boys to team up and help Haruno-san settle in." Akira answered calmly, his hand tightening on Kakashi's shoulder warningly. Sakura chuckled and took a few steps towards Kakashi; gently she placed Hana into his arms and watched as he quickly wrapped his arms around the suddenly away baby that wasn't happy with being moved away from her source of heat. Kakashi held the tiny toddler awkwardly as he looked down at Sakura unhappily, to which she chuckled and stepped away quickly so he couldn't pass Hana back into her arms.

"Since you boys will be helping me, I need to get some shopping done before we get to the house." Sakura smiled at Kakashi who tried to lift the crying baby away from his shoulder, only to have the baby get louder than before.

"How do you make her shut up?" he asked looking at Sakura, she smiled at him with a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes.

"I don't think you'd feel comfortable if someone held you up by your arms all day long." Sakura smiled at him, Kakashi grumbled and glanced at Itachi, looking at how he held the sleeping Aiko, he quickly adjusted his hold on Hana. Once Hana's head rested on his shoulder where she could hear his heart beat she quieted down quickly and only whimpered as she shivered against him. Gently Sakura raised Hana's baby blue blanket up around her shoulders and taking one of Kakashi's hands she placed it on Hana's back gently.

"If you ever intend on having children, you'll need to know _how_ to hold children." Sakura straitened and began walking away down the street calmly, Itachi instep next to her. "The market is this way right? I need to get some money from the Hokage and then pick up some groceries for the house so that when Aiko wakes up she can have something proper to eat." Kakashi hurried after them with Kenta and Iruka trying to peek under Hana's blanket to get a better look at her. "Oh! Would you like me to take Aiko now?"

"Haruno-san!" Akira started before Itachi could reply, both teenagers turned towards him with eyebrows raised at his hurried tone. Akira paused at the sight the setting sun had on the children before him.

Kenta and Iruka (with their maroon red hair) standing just behind Kakashi (whose hair looked a deeper shade of pink then Sakura's) who held the tiny baby Hana, Sakura and Itachi standing side-by-side with Aiko asleep on Itachi's shoulder.

They looked like a family.

Sakura looked like a mother in her red and white summer dress and her hand resting gently on Aiko's back and Itachi looked like a father with how he held Aiko almost protectively, Iruka and Kakashi looked like Sakura's elder brothers and Kenta looked like her son with how short he was compared to her and how dark a red the setting sun made all three boy's hair. The two tiny girls looked like the youngest and newest members in the red haired family. Quickly snapping out of his daze, with the oddest feeling of déjà vu, Akira continued with what he was going to say.

"Haruno-san I'm supposed to take you to your house right now, you can do shopping later," Akira said a little more calmly then before. "The house is already stalked with food so that shouldn't be the problem tomorrow morning." Sakura nodded her head in understanding and stepped aside and waved her hand out for him to continue were they left off.

"Then please show us the way." She was calm and graceful and Akira was worried that Iruka would fall for the Uchiha prodigy's girl. Akira had caught the blush dusting Iruka's cheeks when he caught sight of the Haruno girls and Uchiha heir stepping out of the hospital calmly and gracefully, like a married couple. Akira eyed Iruka and quickly spun off in another direction then the one they had been heading, he watched out of the corner of his eye as his team slowly started after him, Sakura and Itachi walking instep just behind him encouraged the three young men to hurry to his side.

"Haruno-san," Iruka spook up after a few minutes, Sakura turned her head to the boy who walked in step just beside her on the other side of Kakashi.

"You can call me Sakura, Iruka-san." Sakura smiled at him, Iruka blushed and nodded his head.

"I was wondering who her mother is?" Iruka asked pointing to Hana, Sakura's smile twitched and she turned her eyes back to the path before her. "And how old is Hana-chan?"

"Hana is a year old." She said calmly, completely ignoring Iruka's first question.

"What about Aiko-chan? How old is she?" Iruka asked instead

"Aiko is eight years old," Sakura answered and turned her eyes to him with a gentile tilt of her lips, she almost looked secretive. "She'll be going to the academy soon." Iruka's brown eyes widened and he smiled back at her.

"She'll be in good hands; I know some of the teachers at the Academy on an almost personal note." Iruka assured Sakura with a blush on his tan cheeks.

"Only because you're the biggest screw up in the academy," Kenta replied quietly from the other side of Itachi, well out of range of Iruka's anger. That's how they arrived at the forest edge when Akira paused in the road; Iruka threatening Kenta's health, Kakashi and Itachi ignoring Iruka's loud antics, Sakura trying to calm him down and Akira leading them to Sakura's new home.

Before Akira was a path that led deep into a small forest, he knew that the hospital was a twenty minute walk from the house, the Uchiha compound was an hour's walk and the Academy was only ten minutes away; after all it was Akira that suggested this placement for the Haruno house. He continued walking down the road once he knew that the five children behind him were quiet enough to fallow without getting lost. The path wasn't that long, but the forest around them was thick, after two minutes of walking they came across the house that was to house the three girls. Akira stepped up on the wrap around porch and stepped inside the house, taking off his shoes he started showing Sakura and the others around.

"There's four bedrooms, because originally your sister was supposed to be with you," Akira explain quickly, "the main bedroom has an attached bathroom with another bathroom just down the hall were the other three bedrooms are." Akira pointed down up the stairs, "There are three guest rooms." Sakura nodded her head as she fallowed Akira past the stairs.

"A dining room, kitchen, living and family room." Akira calmly said as he pointed to each room which weren't all that far apart. "So what do you think?" Akira asked calmly, Sakura looked up at him from her place in the kitchen.

"I think my little brother was here," Sakura answered as she pointed to a cupboard full of ramen.

"You have a brother?" Itachi asked, "Why isn't he here with your?"

"If I had known someone wanted to see a three year old corps I would have asked sister to bring him, but I don't think anyone wants that image in their head." Sakura answered seriously. Itachi closed his eyes in regret because the image of a, dead, male version of Sakura was playing in his mind and it was almost sickening; even Iruka was visibly green.

"That was not an image I wanted," Akira agreed as he rubbed at his temple.

"Isn't that normal?" Sakura asked with a tilted head as she reached out for Hana from Kakashi. "I can take her now," She smiled at him calmly and Kakashi obediently gave the sleeping toddler over to Sakura carefully. "So you've guys never seen corpses before?" Sakura asked as she adjusted her hold on Hana and moved quietly towards Itachi, her eyes on Akira.

"We've seen corpses before," Kakashi replied, "We just didn't want that image stuck in our head."

"How can you say it like that?" Iruka asked Sakura as she gently shook Aiko's shoulder, she tilted her head towards with a tilted eyebrow. "How can you say that about your brother like that? Like… like death was—is as normal as breathing."

"Because death _is_ as normal as breathing," Sakura answered as she pinched Aiko's cheek harshly, whimpering Aiko opened her sleepy green eyes and glared tiredly at Sakura.

"We're here sweet heart, go up stairs and pick out your room." Suddenly Aiko was full of energy and scrabbling down from Itachi's arms and rushing towards the closest set of stairs she saw.

"Be careful!" Sakura called after the rushing little girl who only giggled in response to her sister's worried call. It wasn't long before they heard a thump and a groan; Sakura sighed and shook her head gently.

"I told you to be careful!" Sakura called as she walked towards the stairs, suddenly there was a terrified scream and Sakura, Kakashi and Itachi were all suddenly gone. Iruka, Akira and Kenta were all scrambling up the stairs after them as soon as they realized where the scream was coming from. When they arrived at the second floor, they saw Sakura holding a terrified Aiko, Kakashi was rubbing his brow and Itachi was holding a spider in the air by one of its legs. The only thing the three of them agreed on at this site was that the spider was a fairly good sized one; it could easily be as big as one of Aiko's tiny fists.

When Sakura looked up at Itachi to see what was wrong with her little sister, the look on her face was almost comical. Gingerly she took the spider from Itachi's hand and placed it just before her. Once the little girl realized that the bug was crawling towards her leg she quickly screamed and took off running in the opposite direction.

"Aiko," Sakura snapped out harshly to the little clinging to the window seal a little farther down the hall. "Quit acting like a baby, it's just Masake; he's big but defiantly not dangerous." Aiko looked up at her sister with tears in her eyes. "Remember what big brother told you before he died?" Sakura asked with her hands on her hips.

"That all life is equal and we do not have the right to decide who lives and who dies," Aiko said looking like she was almost ashamed at her actions, Sakura let out a sigh and rubbed at her temple

"Close enough." Sakura answered as Aiko gently walked towards, sticking close to the wall just in case; Sakura chuckled and led Aiko back into the room she had looked into first. It only had a closet, desk and a bed but it had a large window and was vary spacious as compared to other bedrooms in other houses closer to the city.

The room next to it was slightly smaller and was prepared for a baby, the rocking chair, crib, open shelf of baby products were dead giveaways. It even had an open doorway off to the side that led to another bedroom, which was about twice the size of the other two. It had a walk in closet, a king sized bed with clear curtains, a large desk and a large table next to the biggest window Sakura had ever seen for one room.

"I feel spoiled," was Sakura's first words when she took in the large room.

"This one's yours right Nee-chan?" Aiko asked Sakura as she peaked out from behind the older girl.

"I guess so; Nee-sama isn't here so I guess it will be, it's closest to Hana's room." Aiko beamed up at her happily.

"And I'm close too!" Sakura chuckled as she turned around to see Kakashi and Itachi starring at her.

"What?" Sakura asked, Itachi smirked and offered his hand, Aiko immanently barreled into him. Sakura, Kakashi and Itachi chuckled as Aiko raised her hands for Itachi to pick her up.

"Are you sure you're eight?" Sakura asked as she ruffled Aiko's pink hair, the younger girl only giggled at her.

"There are other rooms for you to see too," Itachi said as he stepped out the door, Sakura nodded her head and fallowed Akira who showed them the rest of the upstairs before he bid them fare well.

Dragging Iruka and Kenta outside, Akira said that they would meet again tomorrow morning; Kakashi said he had other business to attend to and was gone just as quickly as he could. Sakura chuckled as she adjusted Hana on her hip again, Aiko waving from just behind her hip and Itachi standing not so far away from them. Once Akira and the two genin were gone from their sight, Sakura turned to Itachi and gestured for him to fallow them into the house.

"I take it you'll be staying here tonight?" Sakura asked as she set Hana in a nearby baby pin, Aiko quickly scrabbled up into a chair in the dining room and looked at Sakura expectantly.

"Aa," Itachi replied as he sat across from Aiko, he watched as Sakura started making dinner, which was as it turned out to be Shiratama Anmitsu and a bit of cabbage. She set the bowls on the table and placed the plates and utensils next to Itachi and Aiko before she made a separate placement for herself. She walked over to the fussing baby a little further away and started for the stairs.

"Go ahead and start eating, I've got to feed Hana," Sakura said as she turned up the stairs with a smile at Itachi and Aiko. Itachi starred at the base of the stairs and turned his attention back to Aiko, who was staring at him with expectant eyes.

"Nee-chan will be down in a few minutes," Aiko said calmly picking at her rice, "She won't be happy if we just wait for her." Itachi nodded his head and sipped on his tea calmly, Aiko hadn't noticed the shadow that streaked up the stairs after Sakura and for that Itachi was glade. He'd get his clones memories soon anyways.

Sakura entered the baby's room and placed the fussing baby on the changing table, she went to the shelf and quickly found some baby prouder mild, but she couldn't find any bottles. Huffing she picked up the crying baby, who immanently started pulling at her shirt, and quickly marched back down the stairs. Rummaging through the kitchen cupboards, even faster with Itachi's help, Sakura finally found the bottles.

"Thank you" Sakura said to Itachi as he readied the milk for Sakura as she tended to the crying Hana. After a couple of minuets Itachi handed the milk over to Sakura but she shook her head, "It has to be warm, otherwise she won't drink it." His hand flashed and the bottle was warm to the touch, "Thank you." Sakura giggled as she took the bottle and placed the nipple towards Hana's lips, they both sighed in relieve as she started to drink her milk quietly.


	4. Chapter 4: secrets, lots of secrets

Sakura Haruno was only four years old, she was fairly shy but very smart, she had pink hair and emerald green eyes; today she was meeting her grandma, in a village called Suna. It was very dusty and dirty and really hot, but grandma loved the desert, so Sakura didn't complain too loudly as she played with her new cousins Kinta and Mai.

During dinner something terrible happened. Some people showed up and started to hurt Sakura's family, her mother had gotten her outside, but she couldn't fallow. Sakura didn't know what happened to Kinta and Mai and her new grandma; she hoped they'd be okay. Sakura had to run for help, otherwise her family would perish and the strangers would be after her.

Sliding to a stop in the middle of the street, Sakura looked around herself one last time, even if she wanted to be a ninja like her grandma, she would have to learn to hide like all good ninja. Hearing the rushing footsteps quickly catching up to her, Sakura dove behind a stall's table, she prayed the people didn't see her, but she wasn't sure. Sakura heard their footsteps come to a stop, just feet behind her; she held her breath and waited for them to move on.

"Where'd she go?" snapped out a deep gravelly voice, "She's four! She couldn't have gotten far! Much less this far!" the strange man snapped out angrily, "She's the last of them! You know the mission! Go!" the man's voice echoed in the street loudly, Sakura heard the other's hurriedly reply and leave almost instantly. Sakura remembered what the man had said and it took everything she had not to start crying uncontrollably.

_I'm the last?_ Sakura though to herself, a few tears sliding down her cheeks, she buried her face into the head of her stuff teddy bear Ara; named after her older sister who went missing a few days ago.

"Hey," whispered a voice, looking up Sakura nearly screamed at seeing the little boy standing before her, "What are you doing?" his green eyes stared at her a moment, before he turned to the older man in the street who was quickly making his way over to him. "Are you playing hid and seek with the stranger?"

"You need to run," Sakura whispered, "He killed my family, he'll kill you too." The boy's black ringed eyes widened in surprise.

"Found you!" the man's voice echoed above her, Sakura panicked and pinned herself to the table as tightly as she could. The man picked up the table and threw it over his shoulder, he had expected to see her there crouching and terrified, but all he saw was a small teddy bear on the ground and the little red haired demon of Suna; Gaara.

Hearing the table crash the man snapped around, half expecting to see the little girl tangled in wooden bits, but it looked as if she jumped off the table at the last possible second. Sakura was picking herself up off the ground, one of her fingers twisted at an odd angle, it was so hard to keep her tears away and she couldn't stop them anymore. The man seemed over thrilled at her fear and pain and for a moment she thought that he might hit that little boy standing in his homes door way. He was worriedly watching her and unsure of what to do about the situation; but then Sakura's and Gaara's eyes locked, and in that split second she made her decision.

Sakura stood and started running, she knew the man would chase her, she was his mission; the boy wasn't. The man turned and through some knifes at her, Sakura heard the startled shout from Gaara just in time to turn and raise her arms to protect herself. The knifes scrapped past her legs and shoulders, one even cut the ribbon that held up the right half of Sakura's hair; her knees quivered and Sakura collapsed on the ground.

"Face it little girl, you can't escape me." The man taunted, "You're going to die!" the man charged Sakura, his sword drawn and raised to cut Sakura in half; she looked up at the man before her. A scream tore out of Sakura's throat, her hands raised to protect herself, he swung his sword down and she knew she was going to die, Sakura felt the impact and her world turned dark.

…

…

She didn't know what it was like to die, but she was sure that it didn't involve pain. She couldn't move her hand without her chest hurting; she couldn't move her eyes without her whole head banging like a drum. Sakura squeezed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore her pain and heard someone gasp; she forced her eyes open and saw black ringed emerald orbs stare right back at her.

"I know you," Sakura gasped with a dry throat, quickly the boy sat her up and handed her a glass of water. Gratefully Sakura drank the water until her throat didn't hurt anymore. "I know you." Sakura said again a little more clearly, the little boy seemed a slightly put out; he stared down at his hands almost hatefully.

"You're that boy who was staring at me from his back door." Sakura whispered and then everything clicked and she looked around the room frightened at what she might see. "Where are we?" Sakura whispered hesitantly as she reached for Gaara's hand.

"You're in the hospital," Gaara whispered in return, squeezing her hand softly; Sakura stared at him.

"What about that man? The one who was chasing me?" Sakura asked quickly.

"I killed him." If anything that made Sakura even more frightened, she tightened her hold on his hand.

"He'll come back then." She sounded so sure that Gaara hadn't actually killed the man, and that he was most likely trying to make her feel safer. "The next time he comes, he'll bring even more men." It was only logical that this would happen; her grandma said that when a mission failed, someone else or the same person would return to finish the job, and they'd keep coming with more and more numbers or higher skill until the mission was a success. "Grandma said so…"

"Then I suppose that we should keep you under lock and key." Chuckled a voice, Sakura flinched and all but launched herself into Gaara's lap; the man beyond her curtain chuckled again.

"Yashamaru…" Gaara whispered so gently Sakura almost didn't hear him.

"I'm sorry little one; I didn't mean to frighten you." The man said, raising his hands so that Sakura could see them, but she only starred at the man before her, he had short blond hair and brown eyes; he really seemed to regret scaring her.

He looked as if a thousand weights were on his shoulders as if he only knew of pain and regret. Suddenly another man was behind him and this time Sakura did position herself in front of Gaara, she didn't like this new man. He hid his face behind a white cloth; he draped himself in long white robes with blue highlights.

"I guess Gaara did kill the right person this time." The man said, Sakura glared at the man, she _really_ didn't like him. Something about him made her want to run away. "There's no reason for you to be afraid of me little girl," the man said and Sakura could almost feel the man look right though her. "There's also no need for you to protect Gaara."

"Kazekage-sama…" the blond man, Yashamaru, whispered; he glanced between the strange man and the children in the corner of the room. Seeming to give up on trying to break the glaring contest between Sakura and his Kazekage, Yashamaru turned his attention back to the children. "Could you tell me your name little one?" Sakura didn't even glance at him, she kept her eyes trained on the Kazekage, Gaara glanced between his father and Sakura; he wasn't entirely sure who he should side with.

"You should answer Yashamaru, little girl" the Kazekage ordered, but Sakura only narrowed her eyes at him, gently Gaara placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"He's my father, you can trust him," Gaara said gently, Sakura glanced at him and seemed to consider his words before she gave one last glare at the Kazekage and relaxed in her seat next to Gaara.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, and I'm four years old." Sakura said calmly to Gaara, she completely ignored the Kazekage and eyed Yashamaru with suspicion when he sat at the end of her bed.

"Where were you born Sakura-chan?" Yashamaru asked, Sakura glanced at Gaara and at his encouraging nod; Sakura faced Yashamaru and answered him with narrowed, suspicion filled eyes.

"Village of leaves," Sakura said, not being able to pronounce 'Konoha' she settled for the other description of her village. Yashamaru tilted his head slightly, confusion written all over his face.

"Village of leafs…You mean Konoha?" he asked, Sakura nodded her head; a tint of pink on her cheeks "Is that where you are currently living?"

"Yes,"

"Why are you here in Suna?"

"Visiting,"

"Who are you visiting?"

"Grandmother,"

"Why was that man chasing you?" Yashamaru asked and watched Sakura stiffen and look at her hands, she clearly didn't know why, but he'd give her time to think on the answer.

"I…" Sakura started, "I think he killed my family…" Yashamaru glanced at his Kazekage, "We were just starting dinner when they came. Mommy got me out, but I don't know what happened after that; I only ran away like I was told to."

"Where is your grandmother's house?" Yashamaru asked gently, Sakura tilted her head and thought about what she knew about the house, Yashamaru wasn't sure what to do when her eyes glassed over as if she were dead.

"Grandma's house… looked like a ball with a hat…" that didn't make sense, Yashamaru tried to hold back his chuckles; that was an interesting description of a house.

"There was a stream…" Sakura said calmly, her eyes clearing up completely, Yashamaru and the Kazekage started at that, there weren't many houses near a stream. "It gave power to the house, grandma said so. She said that if I ever get lost I could just go to the big wall around the village and try to get to the center, if I do that then I'd find Uncle Shinjiro's house and he'll take me back to her home."

The Kazekage nodded his head to Yashamaru curtly, he knew the man Shinjiro Haruno and his boisterous elder sister, Naoko Haruno. Quickly the Kazekage turned and marched out of the room, he didn't need to hear anything more, he already knew where to look; there was only one place that used a stream to power their home and that was on the very fare edge of the western side of the village. The Kazekage paused in the hallway, he turned back towards the room he just left; he could hear someone chuckle and someone else talk lowly and calmly.

The girl said she was from the outskirts of the village, yet she was found and saved close to the center of the village where Gaara's and Yashamaru's home was; that was a long distance for a four year old to run none stop. In fact most ten year olds couldn't even run that far, so how did a four year old? How the hell could a four year old run so far from four or five Jonin's? Did someone carry her into the city only to abandon her to distract their assassins? Or did the fight in the Haruno house last so long that the tiny four year old was just given that much time to run?

The fourth Kazekage shook his head and made a mental note to get Yashamaru to ask the girl those questions, she was a puzzle that he really wanted to solve. But all good things came to those who wait, he'd have to be patient for the time being; he'd get his answers soon.

"Thank you Sakura-chan," Yashamaru said calmly, to the small pink haired girl "We'll check your home quickly and make sure everyone is okay." Yashamaru smiled at Sakura, but she didn't return it, she just starred at her hands as if she were going to cry.

"Hay Sakura-chan," Sakura tilted her head up to Yashamaru in puzzlement, "Why don't you come with me to my home? You can wait there if you want… Gaara will be there…" Sakura sniffed and rubbed at her eyes quickly; slowly she nodded her head and tried to jump down from the hospital bed; only to find herself floating in the air.

"Huh? What's this?" Sakura asked as she eyed the swirling sand around her feet as it slowly wrapped around her legs and supported her weight completely.

"Gaara!" Yashamaru snapped out, but Gaara only went wide eyed at Yashamaru, Gaara panicked and clutched his head, he knew what would happen next; he didn't want to hear her screams.

But they never came, the only sound that came from Sakura was her laughter, Gaara slowly raised his eyes to see what his sand was doing. Sakura was hovering in the air clutching at her sides as the sand tickled her bare feet, the sand rose around Sakura and wrapped itself around her like it was a blanket, or a pair of arms; that was when Gaara understood what was happening.

"Mother likes her…" Gaara whispered to Yashamaru, a little unsure if this was good or bad, Yashamaru looked like he was ready to faint. After a few minutes of watching Sakura chuckle as the sand cradled her gently, Yashamaru took a hesitant step backwards, gesturing gently for Gaara to fallow with Sakura.

Yashamaru watched as Gaara and Sakura traveled down the road to his home, Gaara's sand looked like an egg with how it wrapped around Sakura gently; the little girl didn't even seem bothered by Gaara's unique ability in the slightest. Hearing a yawn come from the tiny pink haired girl, Yashamaru smiled gently at the children and let a soft chuckle escape from his throat.

"My home isn't too far from here Sakura-chan, please wait a little longer." Yashamaru said pleasantly, Sakura smiled sleepily up at him; even Gaara turned and smiled at him. It seemed that Gaara was pleased that someone wasn't scared of him, it was amazing how bright his eyes were, Yashamaru wondered what would happen when Sakura had to leave. Would Gaara's eyes return to being dull and lifeless? As soon as Sakura entered their home she was placed into a bed and left to sleep for the night, Gaara decided that he could stay up beside her and keep her safe. Yashamaru chuckled at him and left the two of them alone with bedroom door open, this way he could quickly enter without losing speed to open the door.

…

…

The Suna Anbu swarmed over the house on the edge of the village, the perfectly round, two floor house was missing a wall closest to the stream and half the roof was missing on the second floor. The water wheel was tipped onto its side and broken in half, there didn't appear to be anything on the property that was left standing strait; it looked like a war zone.

"Mouse, Duck check inside the house; look for survivors." One of the Anbu ordered immanently, it was clear that this cat faced man was captain. "Hawk, lizard check the yard, I'll take the green house." Each person was named after the mask they were on their face, and each where dressed in black and silver, their cloaks protecting them from the cold night air.

"Yes sir!" the four others shouted together and scattered to their ordered placements, Cat watched his surroundings wirily; this place was too quiet.

"Captain!" the female voice of his second in command called over the intercom, "I found a body… you aren't going to like it."

"On my way," cat answered, it only took him two leaps to enter the house, and only a few steps to stand behind the woman who was crouched over a small female body.

"Hanako," he whispered gently, he knew the Haruno's; he himself was an orphan of the Haruno clan. The older woman before him was the civilian daughter of Naoko Haruno. Hanako looked as if she had taken a bath in a pool of blood, her golden-hair was stained crimson and her golden green eyes were dull and lifeless, even her white and red desert dress was stained crimson.

Cat immanently started looking around the room, he Knew Hanako was married to Otero Haruno and that they had brought their youngest daughter Sakura, he only prayed that the small four year old girl had made it out of the house in time. He just wished he knew were Otero, Naoko, Shinjiro, Kinta and Mei where, he didn't see them in the house and he feared for the worst. He knew his little cousins were here, but he didn't know if their parents or others were here, and the more he looked around his childhood home, the more he became uneasy.

Finally he reached the end of the hall and checked the last room, the sight that greeted him had nearly knocked the air out of his lungs, gulping he took a few shaky steps to his adoptive mother's body and collapsed to the ground next to her. A large portion of the wall had collapsed and half way buried her, her weapons were scattered around her hazardously and the room was almost crimson with her blood instead of being the soft sandy brown that he grew up knowing.

"Captain, do you know what was supposed to be happening here last night?" Mouse asked as she checked Hanako for any life, Cat nodded his head calmly from down the Hall where he just stepped out of one of the guest rooms where a body laid under a chunk of broken down wall; He would always know that long gray hair and ancient hand out stretched towards the door.

"They were greeting a few cousins of ours from Konoha, something about welcoming them to the family." Cat answered as Mouse quickly picked Hanako up into her arms.

"She'll alive, she's just exhausted," Mouse answered Cat's unasked question easily, "Why weren't you here? Things might not have been so bad if you were…" Cat nodded his head in agreement, if he were here then his adoptive family wouldn't have need to let Hanako fight and Naoko wouldn't have died.

"I couldn't participate because of duties—" Cat answered but was quickly cut off from another member of his team over their radios.

"Captain, I found a two survivors and a body! One of the survivors doesn't believe us to be Suna Anbu! Help would be nice!" that was the sound of Hawk; even Cat could hear the sounds of battle in the back ground of Hawk's voice, as well as a familiar shout.

"Tell the survivors that Hanako is alive and that her brother is coming!" Cat called back to Hawk as he turned and ran out of the house.

"Roger!" Hawk's voice called back, Cat rushed towards the sounds of a battle, Mouse quickly fallowing after him as Duck took Hanako to the hospital.

"Captain, who is it?" Mouse asked as she ran next to him, an explosion sounded and he could hear two screams through his ear piece, Cat gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder towards the fight.

"I hope its Kinta and Mei!" Cat called back as he neared the edge of the property

"What if it's not?" Mouse asked softly, another explosion sounded and a voice cried out.

"Then I'm in trouble!"

…

…

"Captain says that Hanako is alive!" Called out Hawk as he blocked a sword strike to his shoulder, "and that her brother is coming!"

"Liar!" cried out the young man before him as he jumped away and readied for another attach, "I saw Hanako-sama die!" the boy's flame yellow eyes were full of grief as he blocked and parried away from the two Anbu, his while white hair danced around his head as he fought back. His partner was tricky and almost cruel; she kept dancing around them like a butterfly, throwing exploding tags here and there. The sandy blond jumped out of the way of a wind strike and tried to throw another bomb at lizard, but he repeated the wind jutsu again and the tag exploded several feet away from her. She screamed and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, the white haired boy landed next to her and checked her vitals before he turned his full attention on them and scowled furiously at them before he charged.

"Listen kid!" Lizard called back to the white haired boy, who quickly parried and swiped at his chest before standing protectively in front of the other body. "Captain is on his way here! That means at least two other Anbu's will be coming as well!" Lizard blocked a strike to his head, and tried to trip the boy but only earned a nasty slash to his leg from the boy's quick swordsmen skills.

"Your imposters!" The boy cried out, "If you were Suna Anbu then you would have been here hours ago!" the boy made another swipe at Lizard, but was quickly blocked by the older man. "Grandmother is always being watched!"

"You can barely stand with two easy going Anbu; you sure as hell can't handle four serious Anbu!" Hawk called as he jumped over Lizard and kicked the boy away from his partner, the boy caught his kick strait in his chest. The boy flew and rolled to a stop several feet away from the second body, he struggled to his feet and by using his sword; the boy was able to stand up again.

"You will not kill us!" the boy gasped, "You will not win!" suddenly the chakra around him surged and swarmed around his sword, he raised it up to swipe down Hawk's chest and Hawk knew he wouldn't be able to dodge that blow. He was tired and running low on chakra, he wouldn't be able to dodge that attach, not without doing some serious damage to both the kid and himself; he knew it was futile, but Hawk raised his sword up into the boy's blind spot, if he could just stop the boy for a while, weaken him, then any damage done to his left side would be worth it.

"Disappear!" the boy roared and the chakra around the sword pulsed with even greater strength, Hawk's eyes widened behind his mask; this was it, he was going to die...

Only he didn't die…

Hawk opened his eyes to see his captain standing between them, his own Katana blocking Hawk's. Hawk's eyes widened behind his mask, the boy's sword was inches away from his captain's shoulder; but his shoulder was almost cut in half.

"W-what?" the boy gasped, Hawk watched as Mouse held tightly on to the boy's shoulder, trying to misbalance him; but it didn't work. "You won't kill us!" the boy roared as he moved away from the new Suna Anbu, Mouse quickly tackled and pinned the boy to the ground; she held the boy's arms behind his back tightly; his sword spinning away out of his reach. "Damn it! Let go of me!" he cried out furiously.

"Captain!" Mouse called over her shoulder at Cat, said man collapsed to his knees, his mask split in two and fell to the ground; the boy starred wide eyed at their captain.

"Jeez Kinta," cat said, a smile twitching on his lips, "How many times do I have to tell you not to use that technique? That's a… a last… resort…" the boy, Kinta, watched as his cousin fell towards the ground, his muddy reddish hair cascading around his shoulders as his lips lifted into a gentile smile, his cerulean blue eyes smiling amusedly at him.

"Aniki!" a voice cried out into the air echoing in everyone's ears, to Kinta, he'd never get that voice out of his head for the rest of his life; all because he went too far.

"Captain! Captain!" Hawk and Lizard called together franticly, shaking their captain urgently.

"Duck!" Mouse called into her mike at her throat, "Get a medic team up here NOW!" Kinta starred horrified at the man on the ground before him. "Don't move brat," Mouse growled out lowly, when he went to move towards the older man.

"Lizard, keep Captain stable! Hawk! Check the other kid!" Mouse quickly ordered, Hawk quickly scurried over to the tiny form of a young girl a few feet away. The younger girl struggled to sit up and with Hawk's help she sat up and watched them all wirily; she stiffened as Hawk passed a glowing green hand over her chest and again over her legs.

"What's your name little one?" Hawk asked as he lifted one of the girl's Carmel colored arms over his shoulder and wrapped an arm under her bare and bloody legs; gently and with a lot effort, Hawk lifted the tiny twelve year old girl into the air.

"Mei," she whispered gently, "My name is Mei Haruno." Hawk nodded his head and started for the trees; he quickly jumped up into a low nearby tree and used it to jump up onto a nearby building. His job now was to get this girl to the hospital and report to the Kazekage.

"What's going to happen to Kinta-nii?" Mei asked as she glanced up at the Bone faced mask of a bird, she saw the mask tilt slightly down towards her but received no answer. Mei shrugged and settled herself in for a very long day, after all, she wasn't a Suna Nin like her elder cousin, she was an Iwa Genin; a first ranked ninja of the land of cloud. Suna wasn't going to just take her word on everything; she attached and seriously wounded several Suna Nin. She'd be lucky to escape with her life; Mei didn't want to think about what they were going to do Kinta. He was a genin of another village too, he came from the village hidden in the mist, therefore Suna was going to give him hell; he nearly killed two of their shinobi.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you killed us both," Mei whispered to the wind as her world went black. Hawk gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his limits, when he arrived at the hospital, he knew he wouldn't be able to talk to his Kazekage; he fainted at the door of the hospital.

…

…

"Sakura-chan," called a soft voice, slowly Sakura opened her sleepy eyes to star up at Yashamaru tiredly. "Sakura-chan we found your grandmother's house," Sakura's eyes popped open and she sat up quickly.

"Is everyone okay? How are mommy and daddy? What about Mei and Kinta? Is Grandma Okay? Are there still bad ninja out there?" Yashamaru chuckled and held his hand up to Sakura's rapid fire questions, she paused and took a breath and waited patiently for his response.

"We found Kinta, Mei and your mother, their all alive," Yashamaru said, a smile on his face, Sakura let out a relieved sigh. "You grandmother however…" Yashamaru started and turned away from Sakura's anxious eyes. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, she didn't make it."

…

Yashamaru walked Sakura and Gaara to the hospital to visit with her cousin while they recovered. After a few turns and the opening of one door later, found the three of them looking in on a room full of Anbu, the Kazekage and a twelve year old girl laying a bed with a cast on her ankle.

"Mei!" Sakura called as she took two hurried steps forward, she was immanently in the arms of the dark little girl, and the Anbu were around the Kazekage just as quickly.

"Sakura-sama!" Mei called as she squeezed Sakura tightly, she quickly pulled away to take a good look at Sakura quickly. "Those bullies didn't hurt you did they?" Sakura shook her head and Mei hugged her tightly once more.

"Nope they didn't touch me because I ran just like you told me too!" Sakura said as she nuzzled her head closer to her cousin's neck.

"You used chakra?" Mei asked seemingly amused with the little girl.

"Uh-huh, just like you showed me, I got really far!" Sakura sounded completely proud of herself; Mei chuckled as she stroked Sakura's hair out of her eyes.

"I guess you did little Hime," Mei smiled down at Sakura "It took me a long time to master that technique and you did it in five minutes! I'm very proud of you!" Sakura smiled back up at Mei before she noticed someone else starring at them; immanently Sakura ducked her head and tried to hide in Mei's arms.

"Hm, what is little Hime?" Mei looked over her shoulder at the Kazekage and quickly understood, while she held Sakura close to her, she could see the crave of power in the Kazekage's eyes and the dark cloak of blood and death that surround him like a second skin. Her mouth formed a thin hard line; he wanted to keep Sakura as a possible weapon despite his youngest son.

"I think it's about time we get you home Hime-sama," a voice called out coldly, Mei and Sakura turned towards the opened window to see a white haired young man with cold hazel green eyes locked on the Kazekage.

"Kinta!" Mei and Sakura chimed together happily, in the blink of an eye he was standing before Mei and Sakura protectively.

"Kinta-kun?" Sakura called curiously, "What's the matter?"

"We're leaving the village hidden in the Sand," Kinta answered, his hand resting lightly on a short sword at his hip. "The Haruno family is no longer welcome here, so we're leaving."

"Are you sure?" Mei asked, worry etched on her features, "What about cousin Nashanji or Hanako-sama and Otero-sama? They can't travel!"

"Shinjiro-san is taking care of Nashanji and Hanako-sama," Kinta replied coldly, his eyes narrowed at the Anbu team before them, studying their soft movements. "Otero-sama hasn't been found, my mission is to get you two to safety at whatever coasts."

"Otero-sama is missing?" Mei asked uncertainly, disbelief echoing in her words, Sakura started shivering in her arms, tears building in her green eyes. Mei quickly wrapped Sakura in her caramel colored arms tightly, tears threatened her own eyes, but she couldn't let them fall; at least not yet. "I can't travel Kinta-kun, my ankle—"

"Will be healed shortly," Kinta cut Mei off almost coldly; "We need to go, NOW!" suddenly the building rocked, Sakura screamed and clutched herself to Mei fearfully as Kinta grabbed his female counter part and jumped out the window.

"Sakura!" Gaara called as he tried to fallow after them, He didn't even get to say goodbye before Sakura and her cousins were out of sight. Gaara paused on the road, his head swiveling every which way trying to catch a sight of pink or white, but the only thing he saw was Yashamaru rushing towards him.

"Gaara!" Yashamaru called out, "Gaara their gone!" Gaara faced Yashamaru quickly.

"Gone?" Gaara asked disappointed "They left?"

"Yes, they already left the village." Yashamaru kneeled before Gaara "I don't think they'll be coming back anytime soon."

"Oh…" Gaara sighed and turned towards his home he shared with Yashamaru, once he entered the room that Sakura had slept in, he found the small bear that she had left behind.

"_This is Ara-chan, she's named after my big sister" Sakura said smiling, holding onto the tiny bear tightly. "Mommy said that you should name animals after someone special to you, this way you won't forget about them!"_

Gaara picked up the small stuffed animal and looked at curiously, that morning Sakura hadn't remembered the stuff bear, she was busy thinking about her family. The bare had deep green eyes while its coat was a deep desert red, on its right ear and pay was a little bit of dried blood.

"Can I name you Sakura?" Gaara asked the stuff animal, getting no response, Gaara sighed and sat on the bed, he didn't leave that room for the rest of the day; that night he wondered around the edge of village, searching for that girl who wasn't scared of him despite his control of sand.

…

"Sakura!" Mei cried out as a bomb went off close to Sakura, throwing her into nearby woods, not bothering with her fight any longer she launched herself after the thrown girl. she quickly made several shadow clones and continued on her path towards the tiny four year old as her clones beat the crap out of the unfortunate shinobi who through the bomb and missed.

"Mei! We're almost there! We have to cross the border and then they can't fallow us!" Kinta cried as he downed another Anbu member almost heartlessly, he quickly did a few hand seals and disappeared in the instant fog that was around them. Mei picked Sakura up into her arms and huddled close to Kinta as he placed his arms around her and helped her jump into the nearby trees.

"We're almost there," Kinta whispered, sweat dripping down his brow. "We're almost there," he was repeating it like it was a mantra, like if he said it enough times then it would come true. Mei huddled close to him as they traveled to the boarder of Fire country; she was worried about the blood that was seeping down Sakura's head.

"Will the Fire nation help us?" Mei asked as the memories of her clones rushed back to her, "There are still several more teams chasing after us, Suna sure is persistent."

"That's because they don't like weapons growing minds," Kinta replied, "ah! There! Do you see that Mei?" Kinta asked almost excitedly, Mei looked up and saw the woods start to get thicker, "We're almost there!" he raised his hand to his head band, when he removed his hand the symbol of mist was gone and a leaf was stationed there instead.

…

…

"Captain! I feel a surge of chakra to the east!" Kakashi glanced back at the female of his team, the sensor and the current member whose voice was echoing in his ear. "Two are on the defensive while the others are attaching!" Kakashi watched as the woman readied her weapons, his other teammates immanently copying her.

"Sparrow slow down," Kakashi sighed out, he hated that as soon as she felt the need to she rushed like hell to whatever fight she thought was worth her time. Although as bone masked bird landed next to him, Kakashi realized that there was something she hadn't quiet got out yet. "If you rush there too quickly you won't have enough chakra for the fight."

"The two aren't going to make it if we don't hurry! There's a third chakra that's really weak! I can barely feel it!" Kakashi let out a sigh as he changed his direction, fallowing after the rushing bird masked female; even he could feel the clash of chakra as well. He wondered why Sparrow was rushing so quickly to the fight, he'd never seen her this eager; Kakashi narrowed his eyes as different scents entered his nose.

"Can you tell how many enemies there are?" Kakashi asked from behind his wolf mask, there was a lot of blood and water in the air and beneath all of the scent of blood, Kakashi could just barely make out another scent.

"No Captain, there are too many," Sparrow answered, then her head jerked and a deep throaty growl echoed back to Kakashi's ears. "Never mind Captain, I can count them." Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his third in commands tone of voice, how many could there possibly be that would make even her uneasy? "I'm counting at least five platoons, maybe more…"

"Sparrow what's wrong?" another member quickly asked, the female didn't even budge as she picked up speed, "What do you smell?" then it hit Kakashi, he'd forgot that she was a part of the Inuzuka clan, he'd forgot because her partner was still at the village nursing new bourn pups.

"Children," Sparrow answered, Kakashi's heart nearly stopped, "I smell three children," her voice was shaky but Kakashi could make out her next words. "The youngest is hurt badly; I don't think she's going to make it…" If children were involved then it was no wonder why she was pushing herself so hard, Inuzuka are well known for being over protective of their young; and as Kakashi watched the woman before him rush forward with gritted teeth, he decided that the Inuzuka weren't just over protective of their own young, but of _any_ children that were in harm's way.

Five minutes later Kakashi and his team stopped on the edge of the border of fire, Sparrow was just short of howling in anger. She growled as she landed on the wet ground and started pacing.

"That's Suna territory, we can't continue further, stay put." Kakashi ordered, a warning in his voice as he eyed Sparrow, who simply started passing the soggy ground just before the forest.

"Could they be Suna nin? Why would two Suna nin be running over to Konoha instead of to their own village?" Kakashi's second in command asked; Kakashi shrugged his shoulder as he glanced back behind him. Other Anbu teams were rushing towards them as well; they could feel the fighting chakra as clearly as the rest of his team.

"Maybe the two defending aren't apart of the Suna's forces…" Kakashi whispered, "But then why would Suna send so many of their ninja after children?" _why would Suna be chasing children period?_

"How far away are they?" monkey asked Sparrow, Kakashi would have to remind his team about speaking to angry, passing animals. Sparrow growled out again as she pointed strait a head of them.

"Their five miles east of here and their moving fast," Sparrow turned towards the mist covered river just before them, "I've never seen anyone move that fast before; they'll be here soon." Kakashi watched his team from his place up in the trees, he could feel the different chakras rushing towards them, he knew the two children were doing well with fighting off so many strong opponents, but if they didn't get to the border soon then there was nothing he and his team could do to help them.

Another team landed just behind Kakashi, their captain nodded his head at Kakashi and he returned the favor, pointing strait a head spreading his one hand out all the way. Indicating that the children were five miles strait due east, the captain nodded his head and settled himself a little closer to Kakashi.

"How many defending?" the captain asked, Kakashi raised two fingers, Kakashi could almost see the man's brows forward, "Enemies?"

"About five platoons, maybe more." Kakashi answered, returning his attention back to the river before him. As time passed the tension got thick with more teams showing up on the border, so it got so thick that once Kakashi could hear the sounds of battle, he almost relaxed; until he heard someone scream and Sparrow snarl in response from below him.

"What is it?" Monkey asked as Sparrow kicked at a nearby tree, giving it a rather healthy looking dent.

"One of the children is dyeing! She's been poisoned!" Sparrow sat on the edge of the forest floor almost in defeat; her next words were full of sorrow and pain. "She's too weak to continue over here, she won't make it to the border…" suddenly a voice roared over the air, it was so loud that a few Anbu members covered their ears; Kakashi was half tempted to do the same. The rivers surface started shifting, it was if someone had released a water jutsu because three dragons roared to life and attached the far side of the clearing in Suna's territory. Sparrow jumped up onto her feet and watched the other side of the river anxiously, she was ready to fly forward and fight.

"Sparrow," Kakashi said warningly, Sparrow nodded her head and readied a few kunai and shiriken.

"Thirty seconds!" someone called out Kakashi snapped his attention back towards the other side of the river, he could hear the sounds getting closer and closer until he could finally see the deadly dancing of several figures.

"Leaf shadow dance!" someone cried out and Kakashi saw the familiar attaches that many leaf genin and chunin often used, it was a move common to the hidden leaf.

"Hurry!" cried a girls voice, Sparrow looked ready to jump over the wide river at the scream "Get to the boarder I'll hold them off!"

"Mei!" that was a boy's voice, Kakashi could just barely make out two figures dodging each attach from their enemies as one shoved the other towards the river. "You can't! Mei!"

"Hurry!" the girl cried, "Get her home NOW!" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the girl's words, he watched as suddenly many more shadows appeared and readied to attach. "Shadow clone jutsu!" roared the girl's voice; Kakashi could just barely make out a form rushing towards the river. He nearly launched himself forward when he saw the second child fall with startled cry, just narrowly missing a rather nasty looking attach. After a few more nin-jutsu's thrown here and there at his attackers, Kakashi watched as the boy raced across the river; he was half way across when two other shinobi honed in on him.

"Go," was all Kakashi had to say, Sparrow was gone almost before he said anything. She was suddenly in the air, her Kunai blocking out the thrown projectiles at were aimed at the child on the river's surface. As Sparrow landed and readied for another attach, Monkey and Snake were on the river next to the boy; they quickly picked him up and just as quickly landed on Konoha's side of the river.

"Mei!" the boy called, Kakashi starred at the small boy below him. In the boy's arms was small and pink. "Mei!" the boy's voice echoed on empty air, the sounds of battle didn't lesson, but the boy's two attackers stood on the river's edge waiting. The boy turned towards Monkey, "you have to help her please!" the boy begged.

"Captain! He's a leaf shinobi!" Monkey cried out to Kakashi, he nodded his head and landed next to the boy, "that girl has to be his teammate."

"Get her." Kakashi ordered, he wasn't surprised when Sparrow and Monkey both disappeared from his sight. He heard a few startled shouts as others left after Sparrow and Monkey, helping them through the mass of other shinobi, he wasn't all the surprised when they returned carrying a half dead girl in their arms. As the others teams gathered around the boy and girl, Kakashi stood before them just barely on the edge of the river.

"What are you doing attaching our shinobi?" Kakashi called over to the Suna-nin standing in the middle of the river, none answered him; but as one stepped forward, Kakashi and the other four captains on both sides walked forward. Once they were all standing before each other, Kakashi repeated his question.

"Those are not Konoha ninja," growled out one man, "They attached our village and our Kazekage."

"Liar!" snapped out the boy, Kakashi looked down at the scuffed up boy hiding just behind him, he was panting softly and glaring furiously at the sand ninja. "You sand-nin's tried to kills us!" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the boy, he actually stopped and looked at the boy's head band and starred at the symbol; well he wasn't all that great at Genjutsu but the boy just might have used it on his headband.

"Cleary there is a miscommunication," one of his fellow captains chuckled as he relaxed slightly in his stance. "Why don't you tell us your story boy, at least the part that got us involved." The boy nodded his head understandingly.

"My name is Kinta Haruno, a branch member of the scattered Haruno family; I'm one of the guards for Sakura Haruno," the boy pointed over shoulder towards his companions. "Grandmother Naoko lives in Suna," here he pointed at the Sand Nin, "Naoko-sama is the monarch of the Haruno family."

"Hurry up to the important part kid you're wasting my patients," Snapped another captain, Kakashi let out a heavy sigh.

"Easy kitten," Kakashi said, earning a glare from the young man a few steps away from him. "Any and all information is important when deciding what to do about two running Nin and the _five_ squadrons chasing after them." Kinta nodded his head at Kakashi before he returned his attention back to the captain standing next to him.

"The Sand shinobi killed Naoko-sama during the recognition ceremony in Suna for Sakura-sama." Kinta said calmly, "By doing this any and all Haruno's within the Suna boarders is ordered to evacuate and scatter immanently." Kakashi could understand that a little bit, the boy pointed at the Suna Nin before them once more "Then they took Mei, Sakura and me away, I don't know about them but they put me in interrogation—"

"That you broke out of," snapped a Suna captain, his beady black eyes glaring at the twelve year old boy. "After which you attached Kazekage-sama!"

"Did not!" Kinta snapped back "I was picking Mei and Sakura-sama up when the foundations shook! That was _not_ my fault!"

"Why would the foundations of the hospital shake as you were 'picking them up'?" Snapped one of the other captains, "Lord Kazekage was in the same room as you with a team of Anbu right beside him when it you attached and then fled!"

"The foundation wouldn't have shaken if you didn't kill the one who built it you idiot!" Kinta nearly roared at the man.

"Easy!" Kakashi snapped out, every one turned their attention towards him quickly "You both are letting your emotions control you instead of keeping them rapped up tightly like you should." Here Kakashi looked sharply down at the boy beside him, Kinta stiffened and looked away as if ashamed.

"The Kazekage wants to use Sakura-sama as a shinobi of his village," Kinta said calmly "and he's willing to kill anyone who gets in his way."

"Why would the Kazekage want that child?" the leaf captain with cat mask asked, "and what does this have to do with you running here to our village?"

"We ran to Konoha because Sakura-sama was _born_ in Konoha," Kinta replied calmly almost glaring at the cat masked man. "She is a citizen of the village hidden in the leaves, she _belongs_ to Konoha."

"Well that changes things doesn't it?" Kakashi said after a moment of silence, he eyed the Suna captains almost smugly, now he knew he could protect the children because they were protecting a child of Konoha; which meant that they each fell under _their_ protection. "Steeling citizens from another village isn't looked well upon you know," Kakashi crinkled his good eye at them.

"Neither is poisoning one of them," replied another captain, Kakashi watched as the Suna captains glared furiously at them.

"This boy and that girl do not belong to Konoha," one captain said, Kakashi turned to the previously silent man. His voice was steady and devoid of any emotion, even his mask was didn't hold any paint on it. "The boy belongs to the hidden mist village and the girl belongs to Iwa." Kakashi gripped a Kunai tightly, so the boy did put a genjutsu on his head band, so was this whole thing a trap? Kinta stiffened at his side and glared at his feet almost hatefully, slowly he raised his hand to his headband; once he removed his hand his leaf was gone and was replaced with the four squiggly lines of mist.

"Mei and I were summoned to Suna for Sakura-sama's ceremony; she was to be engaged to one of the prominent families there to reassert a treaty of sorts," Kinta said starring at the surface of the river before he glared up at the last Suna captain who spoke. "And then all treaties were shot to hell when you abandoned Naoko-sama! You ordered Nashanji to work on the opposite side of the village that night! And then you attached us! You tried to kill us all!"

Kakashi watched the boy beside him, so the whole problem is a political bickering in Suna? Kakashi let out a heavy sigh; this was proving to be more of a headache then anything else.

"I knew you guys wouldn't be likely to help us if you knew that neither Mei nor myself come from your village so I thought that if I could at least trick you until you helped Sakura-sama back into your village then I could tell you the truth and allow myself to answer any and all questions you might have had for my village and family, I would answer any and all to the best of my abilities." Kinta said starring into a middle distance between the Suna Nin and himself, Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"You would willingly give up information about your village for the safety of two girls?" Kakashi asked, Kinta looked up at him, completely unfazed by the question.

"My village means nothing when compared to my family." The seriousness in the boy's voice and the stone cold expression on his face had completely convinced Kakashi that the boy believed those words with all his heart. "If a war were to break out between Iwa and Konoha again then I would defect and come to Konoha immanently, much like we did in the last war with Suna."

"Why would you do that?" a Suna captain asked, the boy turned towards him, still as serious as before.

"Because nothing is more important to a Haruno then the safety of their monarch. Sakura-sama is the next family head, her home is our home, if she decides that she'll die for Konoha then we will die for Konoha. That is our family's way." Kakashi couldn't help himself; he reached out and slapped Kinta as hard as he could on the back side of his head. "What was that for?!"

"The safety of your village should come first you idiot!" Kakashi snapped out, "If Sakura decided that she hated Konoha and wanted to destroy it would you help her do just that?"

"In a heartbeat."

Kakashi slapped the boy again for good measure, he then turned and walked away, Kinta growling at him as he fallowed with balled fists.

"If you cross this river it will be seen as an act of war and you will all be exterminated immanently," Kakashi snapped out coldly "Konoha will decided what to do with the Iwa and Mizu trespassers."

"I'm not trespassing!" Kinta snapped "I'm returning Sakura-sama!" but Kakashi didn't appear to have heard, he just kept walking.

"Captain I had Hawk transport the Iwa nin to the hospital immanently," one Anbu man said to his captain, Kakashi glanced at him as he stepped up to the place where he had left Kinta with the small thing of pink in his arms. "Another member took the younger girl to the hospital as well." Kakashi looked at his team and saw that Sparrow and Monkey were still with him, although a little unhappily and that his second in command was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Snake?" Kakashi asked suddenly.

"He left with little girl," Sparrow answered "He said my chakra was too low," she almost sounded like she was pouting.

"Snake?" Kinta asked, Kakashi turned and saw that the boy was an healthy color of white and green.

"You got something against Snakes?" Kakashi asked slightly irritated with the boy already.

"To the Haruno family, snakes are the symbols of evil," Kinta answered, he was nearly shaking were he stood.

"Symbols of evil…" Kakashi repeated slowly, Kinta nodded his head. "You guys just keep getting better and better," Kakashi mumbled as he took to the trees at a genin pace, only to find that once Kinta started running in the trees he was nearly as fast as the other Anbu's. Kakashi couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips, even after nearly depleting himself the kid still had enough energy to run like hell towards Konoha.

"Let the chase begin,"

…

…

She was in a warm brightly colored field; Sakura looked around herself confused at her place. After a bit of wondering around in circles Sakura shrugged her shoulders and kneeled in the grass that was full of wild flowers. She could have sworn that she was running through a forest with Mei and Kinta, and then that big boom happened and she woke up here. Sakura looked around herself once more, she let out a heavy sigh, she still didn't know where she was; nothing was familiar to her.

"Hello little one," a voice called, Sakura snapped around quickly almost afraid at who might be standing behind her. "What are you doing here?" Sakura starred at the woman several feet away from her. The woman was dressed in a flowing Kimono of reds, white, and gold, she looked like a noble woman. Sakura starred at the woman's hair, she had Pink hair too.

"You look like me," Sakura said without thinking, the woman starred at her for a moment before she gave a throaty laugh.

"Yes I suppose that I do," the woman chuckled smiling down at Sakura, Sakura watched as the strange noble woman took two steps and stood next to her. "I guess that means we're related right?" the woman said as she squatted next to Sakura, Sakura starred at the woman's jade green eyes. "So what is a little cutie like you doing here?"

"I don't know," Sakura answered honestly, "We were running and then Mei-chan tried to hide me but there was a really big boom that hurt my eyes and ears… and then I woke up here." The woman next to her frowned as if disappointed, she let out a heavy sigh and sat on the ground next Sakura with a graceless thump.

"So the world is still at war huh?" she mused

"Huh?" the woman turned towards Sakura

"It's rude not to introduce yourself to someone," She smiled so gently at Sakura that Sakura felt embarrassed for not showing her manors.

"My name is Sakura Haruno," the woman's smile faulted but nodded her head all the same.

"My name is Haruko, It's a pleasure to meet you; little Haruno" Sakura beamed up at the woman gratefully, "What would you like to do now?"

"I want to go home," Sakura said without thinking, "I want to go back to my village; I want to see my mommy and daddy, I want to see Kinta and Mei and make sure their okay… I want to go home…" Sakura burst into tears and the woman, Haru, looked at her carefully after a moment she smiled at her.

"I guess that's a good enough answer that means that you weren't forced here like the others." Haru said over Sakura's sobs, the little four year old girl turned and looked at her, confusion written all over her face. "There were other pink haired girls, all a lot older then you when they were forced here to this land of in between," Haru said gesturing around them, "They each had a good reason for wanting my help and I did help most of them, but" Haru turned her gaze over to Sakura.

"I have never before met a girl with such devotions to her home," Haru smiled and chuckled at Sakura gently, "I dare say that you're not ready to leave the world of the living little Haruno…" Haru's hand gently brushed Sakura's hair away from her eyes and then the world stilled, little by little the world was filled with a bright white light and after what seemed like an endless stream of memories before her; Sakura heard someone calling out.

"Wh-where are you?" Sakura called out as she tried to near the voice, the voice kept getting louder and louder and just as she was about to make out the voice's words a hand clamped on her shoulder. Sakura looked up into the stern eyes Haru, she sighed in relief.

"You scared me!" Sakura said pouting up at Haru, the woman smiled at her but it didn't reach her eyes. "Haruko-chan?"

"There is a price for my help," Haru said as she turned away from Sakura, above them was a stream of bubbles, each one holding a picture inside. "Generally I would ask for blood, but you already spilt some," Haru smiled as if this was a good thing, Sakura's expression said otherwise, "So I'll take a different price," looking forward once more, Sakura looked at was before them. Before them was a red haired boy with black ringed aqua eyes in desert clothes and a girl with short pink hair, tear stained emerald eyes and a ragged brown bear clutched desperately to her chest as if it a shield.

"The memories of your most precious person and of one who changed your life forever," Haru said as she took a step beside Gaara, "Since you don't have a second person who changed your life, I suppose I would fill in that spot." Haru smiled at Sakura.

"I don't understand," Sakura said slowly

"I mean that when you open your eyes, your memories of the three of us will disappear." Haru said calmly, Sakura's eyes widened

"No!" she cried out "I don't want to forget Ara-Nee-chan and Gaara-kun! I don't want to forget you!"

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," Haru smiled gently at her, "I won't simply abandon you, I'll always be with you, and so will your sealed memories of your twin and this boy. One day you will awaken these memories and I will explain everything to you in full, but until then just be patient okay?"

"but—" Sakura's voice was cut off by Haru once more,

"Hay look it, Sakura-chan," Haru smiled at her, her hands out stretched almost lovingly, "Your awaking up!"

"Haruko!"

"Good morning sleeping beauty," the voice echoed in her mind and even though she didn't want to, Sakura's eyes fluttered open.

"Sakura!" Sakura starred at the tear stained face of her mother, "Oh Sakura, I feared you'd never wake!"

"Mommy?" Sakura whispered hoarsely, memories flashed through her mind quickly. "Mommy!"

"Sakura-sama!" Sakura turned and saw Kinta and Mei smiling brightly at her, several other doctors and ninja of her village surrounded her.

"Mei-chan! Kinta-kun! Your okay!" Sakura smiled as her two cousins wrapped her in their arms. Throughout the rest of the day several shinobi asked her questions, and she answered all of them as honestly as she could; she even told them that she knew she was forgetting something, she just didn't know what. Sakura's mother even told her that her father was never found at the house, Suna was searching throughout the nearby lands and they were hoping for the best, but somewhere in the back Sakura's mind; she knew he wasn't going to come back.

Days passed and still Sakura could not remember her escape well, after weeks and eventually months, Hanako Haruno gave up trying to get Sakura to remember. After a few years she gave up trying to find her husband, the year she decided this, was the same year that Sakura was admitted into the Ninja Academy as well as the year that Yashamaru died and Gaara changed forever…

_**Would anyone like to continue this? I simply got board so I'm putting it off for now…**_

_**If someone has an idea about where to go with this give me an E-mail and I'll tell you about the plan I had for this before I started focusing on my other stories…**_


	5. Chapter 5: a real family

_Italics= _thoughts

…

"Daini no Gisei: Ketsujin" Sakura whispered, the man gasped and jumped away from Sakura, he landed several feet away from Sakura and bent over and coughed up some blood.

"Ketsujin…" the man mumbled "That's a Jonin leveled Jutsu, just like the Daini and Daisan no Gisei" the man looked up at Sakura, dark liquid like slivers floated around her protectively "To combine two Jonin level jutsu's like that…" Sakura smirked at him as she thumped against to the wall with sickening thump.

"The one thing I can't _stand_ about Ketsujin, is that I have to get hurt in the process… it's really annoying." Sakura said as she struggled to her feet, the moonlight shinned in on them just then, turning the dark almost black liquid into the glistening crimson of blood. "That's why I don't like to use it, although it's great for assassinations, it's not so great for battles like this. It takes up so much energy…"

"You-you've mastered even _that_ jutsu?" the man called out, his wounds spiting blood as he moved, "are you insane?! That Jutsu is difficult to master to begin with and yet instead of using your enemies' blood against them, you use your own blood?" the man coughed again, "Are you suicidal? How can you master only _that_ side of the Jutsu?!"

"Who said that I _only_ master that half of the jutsu?" Sakura asked she raised her hand towards him, her eyes down cast "Ketsujin, part two…" the man's eyes widened as the blood that was on the ground between them rose into the air.

"No…" the man whispered, "No way, how can you? That takes up so much Chakra…" the blood formed into senbon and quickly rushed at him, "Are you insane?!" he roared as he dogged groups of senbon made from her's and his blood.

"Ketsujin is a ninjutsu that makes one's own blood or the blood of an enemy become blades, blades made of blood that are sharper and harder than any mettle or even diamonds." Sakura replied calmly as she took a few steps towards him, "The down side is that if one uses their own blood then it is possible to accidently use up too much blood, making the user die from lack of blood in their body."

"That's exactly why it isn't permitted to be used by someone so young!" the man cried out, dogging as a floating sword nearly removed his head. "That jutsu is a suicide jutsu!" he easily dogged a group of senbon, "You use it if you plan on dyeing in a fight with your enemy!" he landed and quickly moved out of the way of another attach, "This way they can't steel our blood line!" silence echoed in the Haruno lands as the man continued to doge Sakura's blood blades, the Shinobi of the leaf each had a look of horror on their face; they had heard every word the man had cried out to Sakura.

Suddenly a scream tore through the air, the man and Sakura both froze and turned to the open air just above the wall that just barely hid the other side of the arena.

…

…

Aiko hid a little further behind Mikoto as she made a hand sign, little by little Mikoto and Aiko started to fade away from the two teenager's sight.

"You should learn some manners, children" Mikoto said from the darkness that surrounded the middle ring.

"Shit!" Shiko cursed, as she stood back to back with Chion, "Genjutsu, why didn't you tell us?"

"How the hell was I supposed to know she was a Genjutsu specialist?" he snapped back, "can't you do anything about it?"

"No you idiot! I hate Genjutsu!"

"What does that have anything to do with it?"

"Everything!" Shiko snapped back as she readied her kunai, if she concentrated hard enough she could make out were the woman and brats were; she just needed to calm down.

"I forgot that you don't study anything that you decide is useless…" Chion mumbled

"Shut up and concentrate!" Shiko snapped, Suddenly Mikoto became visible to them. "Listen lady!" Shiko barked out "Either, you stay and fight and _die_ or you can leave and _live_!"

"I will not stand by and let you harm innocent children," Mikoto replied calmly, Shiko growled at Mikoto and set herself in her stance; Mikoto did the same.

"Those brats are anything but innocent!" Shiko roared as she charged, her kunai ready to tare Mikoto apart, "Those who lie about being a Haruno, must die!"

"Who are you to judge a lie?" Mikoto snapped out, her kunai matching Shiko's furious strike for strike. "They are children! How can you be so cold?"

"I care only for Haruno children!"

"C_hildren are Children!_" Mikoto snapped out with a kick to Shiko's stomach "One's race or name does not matter when concerning the life of innocents!"

"Why do you care?" Shiko snapped back, climbing back onto her feet, "You're not their mother! You don't have any right to protect them!"

"_I'm_ _a mother_!" Mikoto snapped out furiously, "I'm a woman! It's my right _as_ a woman and mother to protect them!" She blocked some kunai and shiriken "Blood does not matter when it comes to protecting those you care about!"

"So you're going to die, just to save two worthless little girls?" Shiko asked, her head bowed, her face hidden behind her snowy locks and her arm wrapped around her stomach as if in pain, "You'd really do that? For complete strangers?"

"In a heartbeat," Mikoto replied, "You have no right to kill these children, and I _will_ stop you!" Shiko smiled behind her wall of hair, Mikoto readied for an attach.

"That's foolish," Shiko replied just behind Mikoto, as she was snapping around to counter Shiko; Shiko hit Mikoto so hard that she flew away from the younger girl and rolled to a stop; Her Genjutsu falling as she spit out blood from her mouth, Shiko smiled and laughed at her. "You're a fool!" Mikoto glared at her, that was when she saw it, Shiko's eyes were a different color then before.

"Like it?" Shiko asked as she smirked down at Mikoto, "This is called Daini no Gisei, the second Sacrifices." Shiko's eyes were a glowing white with three spinning yellow petals inside the Iris. "It's actually quite hard to master; the second sacrifice isn't well liked in the clan, but is very useful."

"The second Sacrifice?" Mikoto mumbled as she struggled to her feet, "You poor child," Mikoto whispered, just loud enough for Shiko to hear.

"What? How dare you!" Shiko drew out her sword "Who are you calling 'poor child'?!"

"_In order to awaken the third stage, one must loose someone presses to them. _Sakura's voice whispered in Mikoto's mind,

"_In order to awaken the second stage," _Mikoto replied calmly, Sakura's voice echoing in her mind, Mikoto stood her back straight as she gripped her kunai tighter "_one's life must be placed at death's door with a betrayal in their heart."_ Mikoto activated her Sharingan and blocked each swing Shiko made at her, the younger girl growing more furious with each miss or block.

"What do you know?" Shiko snapped, swinging her sword and then blocking "You're just an annoyance!" The look Mikoto's eyes as she blocked and parried; as her strange crimson eyes bored into the darkest depths into her mind, she didn't want to see that pity in a stranger's eyes.

"You don't know anything!" Mikoto's eyes leaked two shiny little drops of water and Shiko starred horrified at the sight, she didn't want this stranger to cry for her, "How dare you act as if you know anything!" Shiko's sword pulsed with her chakra, making it almost electric as it buzzed to life, Mikoto's eyes widened at the sight.

"Don't look at me like that!" Mikoto gasped as she tried to doge, but she wouldn't make it in time, the sword came closer and close and as Mikoto tried to at least block most of the attach, she heard someone scream out at her; and then the world was gone in an echoing explosion and a flash of light…

The wall exploded into their ring and Aiko covered Hana with her body, trying desperately not to let any dirt into the baby's face, coughing she looked up at the hole in the wall and was immanently relieved at the sight.

A man was bent backwards over the floor of the wall, pieces of the wall scattered around him and chunks landed and almost buried the strange white haired woman that was about to kill Mikoto.

"Sakura-nee-chan!" Aiko called out, tears gathered in her eyes, Sakura approached the broken wall.

"Geez Aiko," Sakura grumbled as she walked over the knocked out man calmly "You sure do have one hell-of-a scream!" Aiko sighed in relieve when she saw that Sakura was completely unharmed, for the exception that her long sleeved coat fell around the elbows of her thin white Yukata and was tattered around it's edges as if it had been through a fire. Sakura glanced around the room calmly, before she spotted Mikoto a few feet away, a piece of wall with blood on it was a few feet from the older woman's head.

"Mikoto-chan!" Sakura called as she turned to go to Mikoto, only to freeze as she caught sight of movement from her left side. Turning wide horrified green eyes towards the moving figure, Sakura screamed out at Aiko as Chion rushed towards the eight year old with his sword drawn. Aiko screamed and covered Hana protectively, unable to move with her bleeding leg.

Then another explosion from the other side of the wall, Sakura watched as huge pieces of wall flew out from impact and hit the older brown haired boy so hard his sword spun out of his hands and landed just inches from Aiko's hunched over form.

"Can't either of you be quiet?!" Haru asked calmly as she stepped through her own hole in the wall, two of her opponents were at the base of the hole while another was being dragged behind her with her left hand. Haru's Yukata was split down one side, revealing one creamy knee, calf and foot; one of her sleeves was also torn from her shoulder, revealing half of her upper arm.

"Nee-sama!" Aiko answered as if she was annoyed, her smile was the only thing that gave her way, "What took you so long?"

"There were a couple of cuties," Haru answered strait faced, to which Sakura through a rock at her. "What was that for?!" Haru cried out as she rubbed at her sore head and glared at Sakura.

"That was for not being serious!" Sakura snapped as she kneeled next to Mikoto, her one hand glowing green "Now be quiet! You damned lecher!"

"Lecher?!" Haru repeated as if she hadn't heard right, she was about to reply when she realized why they were doing all the shouting in the first place. Hana was furious with them. "You'll pay for that later!" Haru promised as she marched away from the hole and towards Aiko, dropping her last opponents along the way.

"Come here sweaty," Haru cooed as she lifted Hana into her arms, "Did you miss me?" at that Hana got louder, "Spoiled brat," Hana sounded irritated, but her face was smooth and her green eyes were calm and loving.

When Mikoto was finally able to open her eyes, she saw six green orbs starring at her; Mikoto wasn't sure if she should scream or not so she just stiffened instead, until her eyes finally focused and her memories returned.

"Easy!" Sakura said as Mikoto went launch to her feet "Take it easy Mikoto-chan!"

"What— what happened?" Mikoto asked as she looked around the destroyed arena, Aiko was smiling at her cheerfully, Haru was holding Hana like a doting mother and apparently didn't hear her and Sakura was trying to get her to lie back down again.

"We won!" Aiko said, her hands waving in the air excidedly, "You should have seen it Miko-chan! Nee-chan was like POW and BOOM! And Nee-sama was like—"

"Enough!" Haru's her face a little red "I don't think she needs to know about that!" her hand found Aiko's rapidly moving mouth, but Aiko didn't appear to realize this as she continued trying to explain what happened so fast that Mikoto didn't think that Aiko was breathing. Mikoto chuckled and sighed as Sakura nodded her head and allowed Mikoto sit up once more.

"You have to take it easy now Mikoto, understand?" Sakura ordered, "You lost some blood and you took a nasty hit to your head, but there shouldn't be any lasting damage." Mikoto nodded her head "You're a little chakra drained but that's what you get when you pull of so many high classed genjutsu!"

"I understand," Mikoto answered chuckling, "By the way Sakura-chan…"

"Hm?"

"Why didn't you say that you were a medic Nin?" Sakura froze like a dear in headlights, Mikoto's smile was calm, but Sakura was sure if she gave the wrong answer then Mikoto would slap her upside her head… or do something worse.

"Uh…" Sakura started but stopped when she saw someone jump down from above, "ah! Itachi-san!" Sakura was all to relieved to see the Uchiha heir. Mikoto looked up into the worried eyes of her eldest son and smiled at him

"Mother…"

"I'm fine," Mikoto cut her son off as she raised her arm for him to grab, as gently as she had ever seen him be, Itachi gently raised Mikoto to her feet. "I'll live yet, I have to be careful for awhile, but I'll live." Mikoto smiled at Itachi, she felt him give a relieved sigh and strait as best as he could under her weight. Itachi turned to thank Sakura but found that none of the Haruno girls were looking at him. Haru was holding Hana protectively standing before Aiko, Sakura beside her calmly standing with her coat around her crossed elbows.

"Atotori Haruno!" Sakura called out, her voice echoing around the Arena,

"We want to talk to you!" Haru's voice was just as stern and final sounding as Sakura's if not a little cold and harsh.

"Itachi," Mikoto said softly as she watched several figures jump from atop of the earthen grandstands, "It's time for us to go; this no longer concerns us."

"Mother…?" Itachi asked as the figures landed before the three sisters

"Sakura-chan and Haru-chan will be able to take care of Hana and Aiko without our help from here on out, okay?" Itachi knew his mother's smile was fake and that she was very worried, but he also knew that with the Hokage there with several other shinobi from their village, there was no reason for him to keep his mother in the potentially dangerous place.

"Yes mother," Itachi replied softly, he took one last look at Sakura's back and turned away. He jumped to the top of the arena and then sped off the Haruno lands, he had wanted to stay and help Sakura, but he fallowed his mother's orders anyways.

"Sakura-chan" Sarutobi waved at the younger girl, who looked a little bewildered at him.

"Lord Hokage, what are you doing over there?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Oh I was talking to this man you just called Atotori Haruno," Sarutobi gestured to the young man beside him, "As it turned out that he was looking for you, he was very worried about you girls."

"Oh?" Haru replied glaring at the man beside her Hokage, "He has a funny way of showing it."

"Yes I apologize about that, you see I had to test you," Atotori answered with a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Why?"

"To make sure that one of you was indeed 'Haru-sama'"

"Like that makes sense" Haru whispered to Sakura who nodded her head in agreement "He could have just asked us questions instead giving hell to everyone here."

"No kidding," Sakura replied none too quietly, "I wouldn't be surprised if we got kicked out because of him."

"Or sent to Root, I'm starting to get worried about Aiko now because of him."

"Old one eye wouldn't dare come here a second time, he's already learned his lesson from last time."

"You mean he already tried?" Haru asked her sister calmly, yet seemingly amazed

"Yeah this morning," Sakura and Haru were no longer paying attention to Atotori

"Really?" Haru asked before a wicked grin spread across her face, "What'd you use?"

"Not a lot, just Haruno Genso and Harukyu Sakkaku… I was tempted to use Senjo nonai and Akumu genitsu, but I decided against it,"

"To bad, I would have _loved_ to see him wither away," Haru snickered; Sakura rolled her eyes and returned her attention back to the group before her.

"You used 'spring illusion' and 'spring sphere illusion' on someone?" Atotori asked with a cocked eyebrow, "But those are both low level Genjutsu's," he sounded so disappointed that Sakura was tempted to use the nightmare jutsu on him, "Anyone with half a brain can dispel them." It took a moment but Sakura and Haru eventually started laughing, Haru fell to her knees hitting the ground and Sakura was dangerously close to joining her on the ground.

"I-I-I g-ge-guess h-he ha ha ha ha!" Haru just couldn't finish her sentence she erupted into another fit of giggles that shook her body,

"He-he d-does-doesn't h-ha-have a-a-a-a b-bra-a-AIN!" Sakura finished for Haru as she finally collapsed to her knees laughing, even Aiko was fighting not to smile; although it was becoming a little difficult with how red her sister's faces were becoming.

"I'm starting to pity the person who receives their wrath…" Sarutobi whispered a little worriedly as he watched the sisters gasp for breath and still manage to laugh at the same time, even tears were starting fall from their emerald eyes.

"Don't pity the one who receives their wrath," Atotori replied calmly "Pity the man who marries them. That would be pure torture, at least from what I can see before me…."

"Aa…" Sarutobi answered as he approached the sisters calmly, once his shadow fell over them both girls looked up at him and ceased laughing. As quickly as they could, Sakura and Haru sat before him on their knees looking like scolded children. "Are you two done?" Sarutobi asked calmly, both nodded her head calmly, their cheeks pink as they looked up at him sheepishly. "Good because you both have a lot of explaining to do in the morning."

"Yes Lord Hokage" Haru and Sakura sighed and nodded their heads as if they just agreed to let someone hang them. Sakura stood and stretched, she eyed the group that was tending to Shiko and Chion then looked up at the people in the grandstands.

"Listen up!" Sakura's voice rang out, echoing around her "I'm not going to repeat myself!" Silence fallowed her echoing voice; most of the foreign ninja seemed to be thinking about attaching Sakura, her voice was the only thing stopping them. "If you can heal, then get your ass in gear! Heal those who were wounded! And I mean everyone! That includes leaf shinobi! The rest of you FIX YOUR DAMN MESS!"

"All Medic Nin get your asses down here!" Haru roared a few leaf Nin listened when she turned to Atotori, who turned to face the grandstands.

"Don't just sit there! Do as you're told!" Atotori ordered, his group scattered; Sakura turned away from them and picked Aiko up.

"I want you guys to tend to the more serious wounds; no one wounded is permitted to leave these grounds until tomorrow when Imoto and I check everyone else out." Haru ordered the leaf medics calmly.

"If there is a wound out of your level come to me, because Sakura is too tired to deal with you okay? Good." Haru started to turn away when one of the medics caught her attention.

"What are we to do with the wounded?"

"The more critical wounded ones go to the first floor of our house, and I mean the one's in danger of losing a limb or life got it? Good, the others are to stay on the grounds outside. It's a clear night with a warm breeze so no one should get sick, but I'll bring blankets out anyways just in case. Oh! And make sure no one stays in this pit any longer, these guys are going to destroy it soon." The medics nodded their heads and scattered to the wounded, quickly sectioning them off and taking the critical into the house. "This is going to be a long night…" Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"Haru we have a room waiting for you in the house, we'd better get some sleep for tomorrow…" Sakura said as she started walking towards the wall, Haru nodded her head and fallowed after her.

"Sakura-san," Atotori called, Sakura turned back to the man, "May I ask you, how did you awaken both the second and third sacrifices? That hasn't happened before, at least not to my knowledge…"

"I saw a man kill my brother and knew that if I didn't do something, he'd kill me as well…" Sakura answered, she turned away and disappeared from sight, Haru quickly fallowing after her.

"I know how to awaken the second and third sacrifices, but I'm curious…" Atotori sighed, before he turned to the Hokage, "Hokage-sama, has she awakened the first sacrifice?"

"She was seven" Sarutobi sighed and nodded his head with a look of regret.

"That's a shame… then she won't live much longer…." Neither realized the two young men who were listening to them, the two men looked at each other and then hurried to the surface.

…

…

"Sakura-san won't live much longer?" Itachi repeated slowly, Mikoto was sitting on their couch looking like the walking dead; Fugaku's eyes were slightly wide. Kakashi and Iruka nodded their heads.

"Lord Hokage said she awoke her bloodline when she was seven, that other man… what was his name?" Iruka asked, his head tilted towards Kakashi.

"Atotori, Atotori Haruno," Kakashi answered, "He said that Sakura-san won't have much longer to live."

"Did you hear how much time she has left?" Mikoto asked her voice slightly shaken, Kakashi shook his head.

"No, they left after that; we came here because we knew you guys were close with Sakura-san and her family." Iruka replied, his hands clenched in his lap.

"We thought that you might know something about her blood line, Atotori made it sound like it shortened her life span or something." Kakashi said, eyeing Itachi as if he had the answers, but the genius shook his head and turned towards his mother.

"S-Sakura-chan said that in order to awaken the second Stage, one must be placed at death's door with a betrayal in their heart." Mikoto said, trying to keep herself calm "To awaken the third part, one must lose someone close to them."

"Lose?" Fugaku asked with a raised eyebrow, Mikoto nodded her head calmly

"Yes as in, having a close friend or family member die and that it must be their fault." A look of understanding crossed Fugaku's face.

"Okay, but he was talking about 'the first Sacrifice'," Kakashi replied, "How do you awaken that one?"

"Sakura said that in order to awaken the first stage," Mikoto answered slowly, "One must be on the brink of death, witness the death of a loved one and have the desire for vengeances regardless of the consequences." she paused for a moment, her teeth denting her lip.

"Sakura said she saw a man kill her brother," Kakashi said, his head thumping against the wall he leaned against.

"I see, so when Sakura-san was seven, she wanted vengeances regardless of the consequences…" Fugaku replied calmly, Mikoto nodded her head "She wanted vengeances against the man who killed her brother…"

"Is it just me or is the Haruno clan a bunch of trouble magnets?" Kakashi asked with a sigh, silence answered him.

…

…

When Itachi and his family went to check on Sakura and her family, they found a war recovery in her back yard. Medics were running around like headless chickens, their voices ringing out over the bodies of the wounded.

"Sakura-san! We have a Stage four poison victim over here!"

"Get him in the house!" Sakura ordered from a few people over, "You! Finish stitching this man!" Sakura stood and hurried over to the group of people rushing a man into her house. "Give me a sample of this poison" Sakura ordered, her hand glowing green over the man's chest. A woman with faint blond red hair rushed over to her with two bottles in her hands, one clear one purple.

"We use only one poison," she handed Sakura the purple bottle "so this is the antidote," she said as she pressed the clear liquid to the man's lips. "This one should be the last one; Mao-kun said he only fought about five teams before he was knocked to the ground." Sakura nodded her head and gestured for the woman to continue into the house.

"You tend to the others," Sakura ordered as she gave the poison another medic, "Places this up stairs in the study, just go straight back." The man nodded his head quickly left.

"Nee-sama!" Haru stepped out the back door, holding it open for the team that passed her hurriedly, "How is everyone inside?" Haru turned towards her sister, a basket on her head and blankets in her arms.

"Everyone seems fine, the poisoned teams are doing better and the children are being good upstairs, Aiko is keeping watch over them well enough."

"What? What are you talking about? When did kids get here?" Sakura asked looking horrified, Haru chuckled at her as walked past Sakura,

"They're the little ones of the family, so don't fret, their too little to do much of anything other than pout. Besides Shiko and Chion are up there making sure they don't move, literary. Atotori said it was their punishment for being stupid." Haru reassured her sister as she continued on her path to the wounded strewn throughout her back yard. Sakura let out a sigh and went to scratched the back of her neck, only to find a firm hand on her wrist; looking over her shoulder, Sakura found herself looking into two dark pools of irritated Onex.

"Sakura-san that wasn't very sanitary," Hashirana scolded lightly, Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I'm not performing any surgeries," Sakura replied calmly, eyeing the rows of medics standing on the porch just behind him. "That's your job."

"Yes, by the way did you get any sleep? The next batch of nurses and doctors are ready," Sakura shook her head and jumped up onto the roof her house again; standing there as she looked out over her yard she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Attention please!" Sakura's voice echoed in the open air, "Attention all medics! The next shift is ready! Will those who haven't gotten any sleep since day break get your asses inside and rest!" Sakura took another deep breath "Those who are performing surgeries finish what you're doing and then get to the spring and clean up! Then go to bed up stairs! Understand?!"

"Hai!" the medics replied in union, each team waited for their replacements before they went either to the house or to the fare end of the grounds.

"When did Sakura get a spring?" Mikoto asked as she starred at the medics who separated, regrouped and retreated. "She didn't have one last night…"

"She didn't have a yard this big yesterday," Fugaku replied as he starred at the huge open space.

"Another jutsu," Itachi supplied with a tilted head,

"hello you must be Uchiha-sama!" someone called, Fugaku, Mikoto and Itachi looked up to see a young blond blue eyed girl holding blankets, "Please wait a moment I'll get Sakura-sama," before they could say anything, the girl was gone.

"Sakura… sama…" Mikoto's voice whispered the thought running through their minds; just then two shadows appeared before them.

"Long time no see," Sakura said as she stood up once more, her hand on her hip, "Mikoto-chan how's your head?"

"I'm fine Sakura-chan," Mikoto said with a nervous brush at a spot just above her left ear.

"Good, I'm glad,"

"Sakura-san, who is that?" Fugaku asked as he pointed to the kneeling blond girl just behind Sakura, Sakura turned her head and looked down at the girl.

"Oh yeah," Sakura whispered, suddenly her fist thwacked the girl on her head "What'd I tell you about that?!"

"Waa! Sakura-sama!" the girl looked up at Sakura, tears in her eyes as she held her temples protectively.

"No kneeling!"

"B-but! Sakura-sama!"

_Thwack!_

"Don't say my name like that! I feel old!"

"Yes ma'am," the looked dejectedly at the ground, Sakura tapped her lightly on the head this time.

"Don't call me ma'am either, I'm not _that_ old." Sakura paused as she glanced back at the Uchiha's then at the field that was her back yard. "By the way, isn't your name Yuri?"

"Aa, yes it is!" the girl blushed, her lips tilting into a smile that she fought against half heartedly. "I'm Yuri Haruno, a distant cousin of yours!"

"Good, Yuri-chan, will you go check on the children up stairs?" Sakura asked she took a few steps into the field, "and then make sure nothing's disturbed in my office please, you do remember what it looked like since last night right? I'll be at the spring when you come back, okay?" Yuri nodded her head and disappeared, Sakura glanced at her shoulder before she continued forward.

"Sorry I can't entertain you right now, you can come by this evening or tomorrow if you'd like." Sakura disappeared into the rushing crowd of medics, those she passed calmed, the medics became more the patients healed faster without mistakes and order was restored with the calm presences of Sakura Haruno walking amongst them.

"Uh-h umm, e-ex-excuse me…" turning slightly towards the Haruno house Fugaku and Mikoto caught sight of a shy girl who tried to look at everything but them. "Uh-h y-yo-you're t-the U-Uchi-chiha-s-sa-sama… right?"

"I'm the Uchiha head if that's what you mean," Fugaku replied with a raised eyebrow, "What do you want girl?"

"Uh… I-I-I w-was a-as-asked t-to p-pick u-up t-the a-a-a w-wo-woun-nd-ded…" she stammered out, Fugaku starred at her calmly, "t-the w-woun-nded t-that f-fou-ought w-with o-our j-jon-nins…" silences "u-uh i-I b-be-lieve t-there w-were t-three…"

"Those three at are at the hospital," Fugaku replied, "Your Jonin's nearly killed one of my people…" Fugaku's voice turned cold, the girl 'eeped' and hide further behind the wall as if she could avoid his glare.

"b-but S-Sakura-sama, s-said t-to c-collect a-all t-the w-wound-ed… U-Uchiha's t-to…"

"I don't care what Sakura-san said, my people are at the hospital, and they are being taken care of."

"N-NO!" the girl called out before she hid herself even further behind the corner of the house, "I-I m-mean… I-I'll s-send s-someone—"

"You'll do no such thing," Fugaku snapped, his voice low and threatening "the hospital is well enough to take care of its patients, you have no right to tend to us!"

"On the contrary," a man's voice replied calmly, the girl stiffened and looked over her shoulder at the man who walked past her to lean against a beam in the sunlight, "We were ordered to do something, Uchiha-_san_." The man's golden eyes were cold with furry as he smiled politely at Fugaku, "We obey Sakura-sama and her sisters, your _opinion_ does not weigh much to us."

The sun glinted off his crimson hair that was tied back into a messy mop of a pony tail. Fugaku glared at him, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak Haru popped up with Aiko at her side and Hana in her arms.

"Oh! Fugaku-san! Your still here?" Haru asked as if she was surprised, the boy and girl both turned and lowered their heads as their right hands rested above their hearts. "What are you two still doing here? I thought we told you to collect the wounded at the Uchiha house?"

"You did Haru-sama," the young man answered calmly, "Uchiha-sama was just explaining to us that they were departed to the Hospital instead of being brought here."

"Oh? Well then I suppose you should go and sign them out, make sure to take one of the doctors with you. You shouldn't get as much resistances if you do, oh yeah how many were wounded in that fight?" Haru asked she turned to one glaring Fugaku and one amused Mikoto.

"I believe that there were three," Mikoto answered, "I think there might have been more so you'll just have to ask when you get there." Haru nodded her head and turned to the boy to her right.

"You heard Mikoto-chan, take those who can be spared and go collect them quickly. If they fought with Maochi-kun then the hospital won't be equipped to handle them." Haru ordered as she walked off the porch.

"Yes Haru-sama!" the two answered and quickly disappeared, Haru chuckled as she stood in front of Mikoto.

"I'm sorry to ask you this Mikoto-chan, but could you help watch Hana? Aiko's doing just fine here, but she's ready for a nap soon like the others, so you don't have to worry about her." Haru said as she hefted Hana higher onto her hip, Mikoto nodded her head and reached for Hana.

"There are other children here?" Mikoto asked,

"Yes, some family members did a summoning early this morning where they were able to get the little ones here quickly." Haru smiled as she turned back to the wounded in her yard

"They used a summoning?" Fugaku asked

"Well yeah, they used a summoning circle," Haru smiled "Yeah I know, I had to see it to believe it. But apparently with enough chakra and control of said chakra, almost anything is possible." Haru started to walk away, her hand raised as she waved at them "Besides, it's not like they were in Kumo or anything!" Fugaku starred after Haru, Mikoto thought about it and decided she didn't need another headache.

"I'm going up stairs" Mikoto said suddenly, leaving her husband to tend to his own thoughts. When Mikoto got up stairs she came across nearly twenty children ranging in age from five to ten all pouting and glaring at the very same teenagers she fought against the previous night. "You guys need help?"

…

…

It had been a month since the Haruno clan had attached the three Haruno sisters that were close to the Uchiha clan. A month since the hundreds of injured shinobi who protected them were immanently healed and in some cases were better than before fight. Limbs that retired shinobi hadn't had in years were suddenly back at their side and to their use. A month had passed since the Haruno clan decided to settle in the village of Konoha.

Two weeks since they were welcomed with opened arms, although a few shinobi were still wiry of them, and three days after the acceptance someone found that Haruno files were filtered into the hospital requesting acceptance for a job.

It had been a month since Haru was announced as clan head, Sakura was named heir and Aiko and Hana were almost immanently called the Haruno princesses. The girls were immanently called main house members, and were treated like royalty within the clan itself, much to the annoyance to the three sisters. Hana was still a toddler and didn't know any better than to giggle and pull hair of those who held her.

In two weeks the knowledge that Sakura was a genius even amongst her own family, who could rival the Nara and Uchiha clans almost daily, was as basic knowledge as the knowledge that Itachi was the genius Uchiha heir.

Although some people were a little alarmed when so many people suddenly showed up dressed in red with a white circle on their back, a few others didn't mind the new clan. It wasn't long before the Haruno clan was welcomed with open arms by the civilians, especially so when they found out that nearly three fourths of the Haruno clan were civilian in occupation. If only they knew that the Haruno clan was just that strong that they _only_ needed the exceptional children, or those who wanted too, to train and become shinobi in the Haruno family.

Sakura starred out her bedroom window, her land had increased almost tenfold. She was very amused to find that her family specialized in building houses and healing wounds. She was even more amused when she caught sight of a funny looking three story building just behind her own home and barely out of sight. She only called the strange house funny looking because it looked like a bunch of trees piled together into a tight cluster. In fact her entire property looked like the forest of death modified for living and raising children.

The Haruno lands almost looked like a training grounds, a training ground that was forbidden to anyone who wasn't a part of the Haruno house hold. The shinobi Haruno's pledged their loyalty to the Hokage under the order of their head and were placed on various teams, although nearly half of the older ones were placed in Anbu because of their skill levels.

Sakura watched as a few of her clans children waved to their mothers and rushed off for the academy, with luck they wouldn't get teased…

With luck no one would mention that the boys had odd hair…

Sakura let out a sigh as she heard an explosion go off in the distances, she decided right then that it was going to be a very long day.

"Nee-sama," a familiar voice called, Sakura turned to see Aiko looking at her like a nervous child. Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly before she turned around completely with a disarmingly gentle smile at Aiko.

"Yes Imoto, what is it?" Sakura asked pleasantly, she could have sworn she'd seen Aiko leave with the other children.

"Uh… I-I…" Aiko stopped for a moment; a frown on her face, Sakura raised an eyebrow at her; Aiko wasn't acting like she usually did. "I was wondering… c-could Y-you…" Aiko paused again for a moment; she took in a deep breath and continued "Could you teach me a new technique?" Aiko had spoken so quickly that Sakura had almost not caught it. Sakura stood frozen as she starred at Aiko in disbelief, Aiko was originally a shadow clone of herself; Aiko knew everything she knew…

"Why?" Sakura asked softly, her head tilting to the side; she let her chakra slip out through her feet and ghost against the hard wood floors. Aiko shifted from foot to foot, biting her lip nervously; Sakura's eyes narrowed noticeably before she smiled and crouched before Aiko. "What happened Imoto?" Aiko shifted again nervously before she let out a sigh.

"I'm being teased…" Aiko mumbled softly, starring at the floor "no one beliefs me when I say I'm your sister, they think I'm too weak…" Sakura starred at her for a moment before she smiled gently at Aiko. Sakura reached out and ruffled her little sister's hair gently.

"Imoto," Sakura said softly, Aiko looked up at her, eyes full of wonder and hope. "You're a damned liar," Aiko starred at her taken back, Sakura's smile was still so disarming. So damned gentile and accepting...

Suddenly Aiko's yes widened as Sakura's hand slipped under Aiko's her chin and gripped her tiny throat. Aiko screamed as Sakura through her out the hallway window, glass rained down with Aiko's screams echoing throughout the property. Aiko landed harshly on the ground, blood dribbling down her lip as she crawled back words away from Sakura as she landed atop the glassy ground. Others in the Haruno compound rushed to surround Sakura and Aiko, whispers of confusion and worry echoed in their numbers.

"Sakura-sama," Someone called out, as another took a stepped towards Aiko.

"Stay back" Sakura ordered coldly, several family members flinched and took a step back, their heads bowed.

"Nee-Sama," Aiko whispered fearfully, "Nee-sama what's wrong?" Aiko whispered as she trembled in her place, "What's wrong?" Sakura's chakra was uncapped, she let crash down on Aiko specifically, she didn't care if some of the more sensitive members of the family gasped and collapsed.

"You're an idiot," Sakura sighed lazily, "you seriously think that a little transformation jutsu could trick me?" Aiko's eyes widened, "I'll admit you tricked the guards, you must have been able to get some of Aiko's blood to pull that off." Aiko trembled almost uncontrollably in her placement on the ground.

"Hares some tips about Aiko-chan," Sakura crouched before Aiko, a gentile smile on her face that did nothing to hide the cold hatred in her Emerald green eyes. "I am 'chan', never 'sama'." Aiko's eyes widened and her little jutsu failed, it shimmered off her like water.

Before Sakura was a trembling member of root, a young man she hadn't met before. He had dark brown hair and wide horrified brown eyes, his skin would have had nice tan, if he wasn't such a healthy color of white.

"She would never, in a million years, would she _ever_ ask me for a new jutsu." Sakura's soft voice almost whispered to the young man as she stood, capped her chakra and walked away. Sakura turned with a smug look on her face, "I'll admit you've got potential, But you made the mistake of choosing the Haruno clan for your little practice. Next time, choose a _civilian_ family after all; they can't sense the difference in chakra signatures."

"Y-you knew," the young man whispered, "you knew… from the v-very b-beginning…" Sakura turned back to her house and continued walking away from him.

"I knew the moment you entered the compound," Sakura answered as she disappeared into her home, she paused in the back entrance of her home. "It'd be such a waste if he died…" Sakura whispered as she continued forward to the stairs closest to her, she heard someone chuckle as she entered the kitchen and heard someone else scream as she turned for the closest set of stairs.

An hour later Sakura was found in her study reading a scroll when one of her family members knocked on her door.

"Yes, what is it?" Sakura called as she turned towards the door slightly, her eyes never leaving the scroll in her hands. After a moment of hesitation, the door opened to reveal a kneeling old woman; Sakura glanced up and immanently jumped to her feet. "What's wrong miss? Are you hurt?" Sakura asked worriedly as she made her way to the door, her hand glowing green as she readied to check the older woman. The old woman chuckled at her and shook her head softly, her hands up to keep Sakura's at bay.

"Nothing of the sort Sakura-sama," the woman said with a gentile smile, "I came to tell you that you were summoned by Lord Hokage." Sakura's face lit up and she hugged the old woman tightly.

"Thank you!" Sakura said as bounced to her feet, pulling the old woman with her, "thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sakura let go of the old woman, her face almost splitting in half with her smile. "I've been waiting for this summons!" Sakura turned and with a wave Sakura sped off into her room, skidding to a halt just outside the door before she rushed in. the old woman turned to the office and shook her head, she wanted to go in and explore but she closed the door instead. She could ask her lady why she was reading that scroll another time; she turned and went to pass Sakura's room, only to hear Sakura fussing in her closet.

"Oh no! What am I going to were?! That's dirty! That's old! Is this mine?" Sakura asked as she held up piece of hot orange fabric. "I can't were a kimono for a mission! I can't were such silly decretive little things in front of lord Hokage!" the woman watched as Sakura tore through her bedroom looking for clothes that she could were in front of her village leader, it brought an almost sad looking smile to the old woman's face.

"What am I going to wear?!" the old woman smiled at Sakura gently, before the girl picked up the neon orange fabric a second time.

"If you're going to were that I suggest some black pants to go with it." She said, Sakura snapped around, she looked at the old woman in her door way to the cloth before she looked back at the old woman again.

"You any good with picking out cloths for missions, which involve meeting important people?" Sakura asked, the old woman nodded her head and a smile bloomed on Sakura's face once more. "If this was mine I'd were it, but I've never seen it before," Sakura explained, the woman smiled at her.

"Then were the basic kunochi pants, with a crimson kimono top." The old woman explained "Your Hokage did ask for you ASAP," Sakura's face paled and she headed for her window.

"I wished you said that sooner!" Sakura whined "I wouldn't have fretted about my clothes if I'd known that!" the old woman smiled at Sakura with a raised eye brow, Sakura was about to jump off her baloney when she popped her head back into her room with a frown her face. "I'd appreciate it if you just left my room the way it was," Sakura said, the old woman chuckled at her before she waved a dismissive hand towards Sakura.

"You've been summoned and besides," the old woman looked smugly at Sakura "You can't stop me," she heard Sakura's laughter echo back at her as the younger girl tore off out of the compound, her pink hair billowing in the wind as she rushed away. The old woman glanced around the room with a raised eye brow.

"What a mess…" the old woman sighed as she stepped forward and picked up a pink blouse. "Is this even clean?" she asked as she sniffed, holding back a gag she quickly held it away from her face "guess not."

…

…

Sakura stepped on to the roof of the Hokage building; she stood next to the window on the verge of panting; she knocked on the window and waited patiently, _she was finally getting a mission!_

"Ah, Sakura-chan," Sarutobi greeted with a smile "Come on in," Sakura tried very hard not to show how excited she was when she stepped into the Hokage's office when she looked up to see who else was in the room, Sakura had to fight with herself to make sure she didn't deflate. Sakura nodded politely at Sarutobi as she walked around his desk stood next to the three people she wished weren't there, she quietly turned and face her Hokage without acknowledging the other three's presence. She could feel their stares on her as she focused her attention on Sarutobi, who appeared to be trying his best not to smile at her.

"Lord Hokage," Sakura started politely with a smile, "May I ask why I was summon?" Sarutobi nodded his head and placed his hands on his desk

"I was wondering if you'd mind taking this group of Genin—"

"Hell no," Sakura dead panned immanently cutting Sarutobi, he raised an eyebrow at her but say anything because of the very boisterous child in the group.

"what'd ya' mean 'hell no'?!" the boy cried out "the old man didn't even—! Sakura's fist landed on the young man's head rather harshly, "OW! What was that for?!" Sakura glared down at the younger man, who immanently shut up and hid behind one of his teammates.

"Children like you who hold no respect for their elders," Sakura paused as she smiled and tilted her head to the side "Typically die first." The young man paled drastically, he held his hand up to his mouth to try and stop his chattering teeth but his shaking knees were a gave away his fear.

"Now look what you've done Nawaki," Hissed the girl as she glared at the shaking boy, "if we end up getting punished for your stupidity again I'm goanna kill ya!"

"Nawaki?" Sakura whispered her face smoothing over as she eyed the two before she turned and looked at her lord Hokage.

"I know but that's not why I placed him on this team," Sarutobi said after a moment of a staring contest, Sakura nodded her head in understating. "I placed this team together because they are exceptional children who graduated early this year." Sakura looked back at the three children lazily, "Since you are technically a Jonin leveled shinobi, I figured you wouldn't mind." Sakura raised a thin eyebrow at Sarutobi, the three genin quieted and starred in shock at Sakura.

"How did you think I wouldn't mind?" Sakura asked softly "their chakra's are pathetic, were the tests easy this year?" Sarutobi chuckled at Sakura as she completely ignored the glaring children beside her

"No, and frankly the only reason why they are passing onto being Genin so soon is because of what these three did together."

"What did they do?" Sakura asked mildly interested now,

"They defeated a missing nin," Sarutobi said it as if they had somehow saved the village,

"Hm, that's all?" Sakura replied softly, the three genin toppled over together

"What'd ya' mean 'that's all'?!" Nawaki cried, "We nearly died taking that guy out!"

"Oh?" Sakura turned to the young man calmly, "So he's dead then?"

"Wa-d-dead? N-no… of course not!" Nawaki stumbled over his words, not because of the thought of killing someone, but because of completely unimpressed and bland tone of voice of the girl standing next to them. "W-Why-y would you t-think t-that?!"

"You said you 'took him out'," Sakura replied calmly as she blinked at them slowly "Generally that would mean that your opponent was killed."

"You're not normal are you?" Nawaki dead panned, Sakura gave him a smile that he took as a threat and immanently retreated back behind the girl again.

"She's the same age as us but she's already a Jonin" The girl snapped "Weren't you paying attention?"

"Hokage-sama said 'technically'" replied the third member of the team; Sakura looked down at him found a young white eyed boy starring right back at her. "What rank are you really?" Sakura smiled down at him

"A Hyūga," Sakura said softly "I haven't seen one of you in a while…" the boy narrowed his eyes at Sakura, who smiled and turned back to Sarutobi; her hand on her hip. "Do I have a choice in this matter?" Sakura asked softly, Sarutobi smiled just as calmly back at Sakura

"Yes, considering you're not a full fledge shinobi of this village," Sarutobi answered "by the way when can you take the test?"

"What?!" Nawaki and the girl cried together

"Now preferably," Sakura replied "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for a mission."

"Lord Hokage are you serious?" the Hyūga boy asked, "She's an outsider! How do we know she's not a spy?" Sakura promptly thumped him upside his head as well; he straightened, growled lowly and glared hatefully up at Sakura.

"I already went through all that hocus-pocus crap," Sakura replied "I passed with flying colors, the only thing I need to do is pass the bloody shinobi test that you Genin typically go through."

"Speaking of which," Sarutobi interrupted quickly, Sakura turned back to Sarutobi with a tilt of her head and curious look in her eye "do you remember that test you took two weeks ago?"

"The one I fell asleep in?" Sakura asked with narrowed eyes, Sarutobi nodded his head; the genin starred at Sakura like she was idiot

"How do you fall asleep in a test?" the girl asked

"I do all the time," Nawaki answered as if it was as simple as breathing, the girl punched him "Ow! Keika-chan that hurt!"

"I'm surrounded by idiots…" the Hyūga boy mumbled

"That was actually an Anbu consideration test," Sarutobi said, the genin froze and starred at their Hokage before looking towards the girl standing beside them. "I meant to tell you sooner but as soon as the test was over you ran out like a bat out of hell."

"That examiner was a little too creepy for my tastes," Sakura smiled with a light snicker "So how'd I do anyways?"

"Well you passed," Sarutobi smiled "But because you fell asleep just to anger the examiner, they docketed some points and you were placed at Jonin level."

"Ah, I figured points were going to take quite the hit," Sakura said with a smug smile, "So when's my initiation test?"

"In one hour," Sarutobi replied as he made a showing motion with his left hand, Sakura watched one of his Anbu disappear. "So are you willing to take this group under your wing?" Sakura turned back to three children who around the same age as herself, she smiled smugly at them before she turned back to Sarutobi.

"A Hyūga, an Inuzuka and a…" Sakura paused as she looked at the girl

"Aburame," she said helpfully, Sakura smiled politely and nodded her head in thanks.

"A Hyūga, an Inuzuka _and_ an Aburame as students…" Sakura smirked at the genin before she turned to Sarutobi "that'll be fun. I accept." Nawaki groaned and if the other two were disappointed then they didn't show it nearly as well as he did.

"We'll meat on the roof of the academy tomorrow morning after academy is out, understand?" the genin sighed and nodded their heads, "oh yea, don't skip school tomorrow," Sakura warned "or you'll see what hell is truly like." Nawaki gulped and Sakura laughed disappearing out the window, Sarutobi turned back to the genin with a pitting look.

"She's properly counting today as well," Sarutobi said softly, "You'd better hurry or you'll get in trouble."

"Yes lord Hokage," the three children replied together, only the girl seemed to be pleased with everything. Sarutobi watched as the three children rushed towards the academy, he knew Sakura had simply gone to the integration center since that was where her last test was taken. Sarutobi looked back down at the four files that were on his desk; he pulled out their pictures and sighed at the sight presented before him.

"Nawaki Inuzuka," Sarutobi brushed his fingers over the picture of the young man, he had the crimson upside down triangles that looked like fangs, with black hair and brown eyes; He was specialized in Taijutsu and some weapons.

"Keika Aburame," the girl had soft brown locks with kind dusty brown eyes, she was pretty good with her bugs, but she liked to beat Nawaki with her fists. She could manipulate quite a few different bugs to do her bidding, but she specialized in gathering herbs and making healing ointments and her grades were top notch.

"Shizun Hyūga," Sarutobi sighed as his fingers brushed over the third photo, the young man was a branch member and he was skilled in his hand to hand as well with weapons.

"Sakura Haruno" Sarutobi picked up the picture and eyed the young girl in it. She was a medic Nin specialist with a habit of hitting people; she showed remarkable potential and skill that shouldn't be achieved for someone her age. She showed an extraordinary ability for infiltration, sabotage, espionage, interrogation, every kind of imaginable weapon and jutsu and she a strange ability to go against remarkable odds and still come out on top without a scratch. On a personal note Sarutobi knew for a fact that she was asked to be a Kage of more than just one hidden village, she was requested to teach at several other hidden villages and he'd seen her fight against her own kin mercilessly. She showed no hesitation in fighting those who were her family, just for the simple fact that they were a threat; Sarutobi turned to look out at his village, lost in thought.

"Did I just put promising genin on a path to hell?" Sarutobi wondered quietly, he really didn't want to crush the children already.

…

"So what do you know about our new sensei?" Keika asked her new teammates as they sat together for lunch the day after they first met their teacher. "I think she's going to be lots of fun" Keika stated with a smile as she placed some rice into her mouth.

"You would," Nawaki replied with a smirk, "I bet your just glade our sensei isn't a guy considering you don't like men—"

"You're not a man," Keika deadpanned "You're just a slob"

"WA?! How dare you!"

"Shut up" Shizun replied, to which both ignored him, after another minute of the two arguing Shizun heaved a sigh. "Hello Sakura-sensei," Nawaki Immanently went on the defensive while Keika looked around excitedly.

"I don't see sensei," Keika mumbled as she looked at Shizun for an explanation.

"I figured that be one way to get you both to shut up," Shizun deadpanned as he continued to eat, "can't either one of you be quiet while you eat?"

"NO" Nawaki smirked; Keika sighed and rolled her eyes as she continued to eat. "So when do you think the initiation test is going to be over?" Nawaki asked after a moment of silence, Shizun sighed and Keika giggled.

"You're genetically incapable of being quiet aren't you?" Shizun asked

"What'd ya' mean 'gen-et-tickly' incapable of being quiet?" Keika busted out laughing as Shizun raised an eyebrow at his new teammate.

"It pronounced as 'genetically' not 'genet-tickly'" Keika corrected sweetly

"Yeah okay," Nawaki replied "So what's 'genetically' mean anyway?" silence answered him, "What?" Nawaki asked his two teammates who were looking at him like he had two heads.

"We're stuck with him aren't we?" Keika asked with a depressed sigh

"Unfortunately," Shizun sighed as he turned away from his new teammates,

"What?" Nawaki asked as he looked back and forth between his teammates, "What'd I say?"

…

Sakura stood before a young Ibiki and his boss, neither one seemed to be pleased that she had thrown their questions right back at them, Neither was the Yamanaka man who holding an ice pack to his head. She amused that the three men had decided to do a staring contest with her, just to see if she could lose her temper. It had been ten minutes so far.

"Aargh!" the young Yamanaka man cried as he thumped his head gently on the table he was leaning against, "Enough with the creepy no blinking staring contest! She's bound to out wait you any day of the week just for the simple fact that she can." Sakura smirked at the man standing before, she was amazed that neither one of them had noticed the genjutsu she had placed over her eyes to make it seem like she hadn't blinked at all since the little game started.

"If this keeps up your eyes are going to go bad," Sakura said calmly, she was simply sitting in her place, she hadn't moved a muscle since they stepped before her. Her right knee was clued to her left, her hands were set perfectly in her lap, her soft pale violet kimono was stiff; Sakura Haruno looked like a china doll.

"How do you do that?" Ibiki asked softly, "you were so still, it was like you were carved from stone…"

"I have perfect chakra control," Sakura replied without blinking up at the head interrogator, "It's easy to keep my body from going stiff."

"And keeping your eyes from going dry," the middle aged man drawled as he tossed the paper into Sakura's lap, she smiled up at him as she gracefully stood; the slip of paper held gently between her fingers.

"Not even close," Sakura drawled as she blinked, "I'm a little disappointed that you didn't notice the genjutsu sooner." Sakura smiled sweetly at the shocked men and turned away from them; gracefully Sakura strode out of the Interrogation building and headed for the academy. It should be about over by now, since they took twice as long as they should have with her; just so they could test her patients.


End file.
